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Tour de Suisse 2012: Stage 3

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Welcome to our live coverage of the conlusion to stage three at the 2012 Tour de Suisse. Today's stage measures just under the 195km mark and runs from Martigny to Aarberg. Can Movistar's Rui Costa hold on to the overall lead that he snatched on yesterday's second stage?

80km remaining from 194km

Let's just check where we stood this morning in terms of overall GC, before stage three got underway.

70km remaining from 194km

60km remaining from 194km

And it's wet out there. Very wet. Leaders are roughly 20km away from the first categorised climb, the Frienisberg.

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Movistar seem nice and relaxed back in the peloton as the gap contuniues to come down. None of these riders up ahead are GC threats to Costa. The weather might be though. The rain is getting heavier and heavier.

50km remaining from 194km

It will be interesting to see if anyone dares to attack at this stage. Weather definitely playing its part here and everyone just looking like they want to consolidate for the moment.

There were no withdrawals this morning by the way. All 160 riders were at the start.

CADEL EVANS VIDEO: Across the border in France yesterday, Britain's Bradley Wiggins won his second consecutive Criterium Du Dauphine. The heat has now certainly gone up a notch in the UK, where people are now talking up Wiggins as the overwhelming favourite for the Tour de France. But what did Cadel Evans, last year's Tour winner, have to say about his own performance over the last week? Have a watch of this exclusive video here.

54km remaining from 194km

Gap is now up to over eight minutes after that interruption. Leading trio have enjoyed a real slice of luck there.

40km remaining from 194km

Liquigas and Sky have moved to the front of the peloton. The former's Peter Sagan won stage one's ITT on Saturday and has been in sensational form in recent weeks. Does he have his eyes on another prize this afternoon?

We have more on that Hincapie story that we told you about. Read the full story here.

The riders have just passed the town of Aarberg, site of the finish for the first time. Leaders still looking comfortable but the weather and the two approaching climbs might yet have a say in the outcome of this one.

Plus the last 500m of this course has plenty of twists and turns in it. If the leading trio do get swallowed up and we have a mass sprint, positioning will be crucial. The greasy road surface isn't ideal either.

29km remaining from 194km

Gap really is tumbling down now. Not looking good for the leading trio. They have taken almost a minute out of the gap in the last few kilometres.

Confirmation that Bonnaford won the last intermediate sprint. Leaders have now started to climb.

And the main peloton has now also started to climb, and the gap has shortened to around the three-minute mark.

Van Genchten has been dropped by Bonnafond and Morkov as the leading pair cross the summit of the Frienisberg climb.

Moreno Moser (Liquigas) attacks from the main peloton and goes off in pursuit of the leaders.

22km remaining from 194km

Frank Schleck and Fabian Cancellara are well placed in the peloton as we enter the last 20km. With one more climb to go, who is going to make a decisive move here?

Team Sky really pushing hard again. Ben Swift could have a shot wt winning the stage here if it can be turned into a sprint. Plus they have Thomas Löfkvist high up in the general classification.

15km remaining from 194km

Nordhaug (Sky) is displaying some nasty wounds from an earlier crash. He's going to finish the race though.

10km remaining from 194km

Leaders really struggling up this final climb. Like they're riding through mud.

Moser trying to attack from the front of the peloton once again as they climb.

Gap being toally decimated here. Down to less than 30 seconds in the blink of an eye.

Leaders are in sight of the peloton now but gap hasn't come down quite as quickly over the last few km. There's a few decent sprinters waiting in the wings here. Boonen, Sagan, etc. Ben Swift and Cancellara are there too. And Farrar.

5 km to go and they are rushing downhill fast. Gap is ten seconds now

Big hairpin bend there with 3km to go. Caused a lot of excitement in the host broadcaster's commentaory box...no scrapes though.

2km to go. Sky at the front and pushing but haven't got there. Yet.

Last kilometre...

And the leaders are swept up

WINNER: Peter Sagan (Liquigas)

Sagan comes home first in a tight sprint finish

Baden Cooke in second, Ben Swift in third

Full top ten for stage and for GC when it's confirmed...

TOP TEN FINISHERS - STAGE 3

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 3

So another win for Sagan, who has been sweeping up victories with alarming regularity over the last few months. That's two here already, and let's not forget the five, yes five, he won at he Tour of California last month. At just 22 years old, there is surely even more to come from the Slovak.

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