LIMOGES, France (AP) — German rider Marcel Kittel claimed the fourth stage of the Tour de France after a massive sprint on Tuesday.
Frenchman Bryan Coquard looked set to post his first stage win at cycling's showpiece event until Kittel resisted his rival's late surge and beat him by a whisker.
It was Kittel's ninth stage win at the Tour.
The longest stage of the race took the peloton from Saumur to Limoges in central France on a 237.5-kilometer ride.
Early attackers built up a six-minute lead but their 200-kilometer breakaway was reined in by the pack.