LILLE, France (AP) β The Tour de France is back on home turf after a boisterous three-day start across the channel in England.
Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali is wearing the leader’s yellow jersey for the mostly flat 163.5-kilometer (101-mile) fourth stage along France’s border with Belgium, from Le Touquet-Paris Plage to Lille Metropole.
Marcel Kittel of Germany sped to victory in front of Buckingham Palace on Monday, his second Tour stage win already this year.
Overall, Nibali has a slim two-second lead over a group of title contenders, which includes defending champion Chris Froome and two-time winner Alberto Contador.
Tour officials estimate that British fans made nearly 5 million individual visits to the route during the first three stages in Yorkshire, Essex and London, with some possibly attending more than one stage.
