Tour De France 2015: Live Stream Schedule, TV Info, Route for Monday's Stage 3

The peloton will face its first real challenge during Stage 3 of the 2015 Tour de France, with an uphill finish at the iconic Mur de Huy. Monday's stage has the look of a typical Spring Classic, and the finale should provide plenty of fireworks.

Fabian Cancellara is the new leader in the general classification after Monday's wacky stage, which saw Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali lose significant amounts of time on Alberto Contador and Chris Froome in the battle for the general classification.

The first points for the mountain classification will be earned on Monday, with four categorised climbs along the way: three Category 4 climbs and the dreaded Mur de Huy, a Category 3.

Stage 3: Antwerp—Huy

Date: Monday, July 6

Profile: Hills

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), Eurosport Player (UK)

TV Info: NBC Sports (U.S.), British Eurosport (UK)

For a look at the Stage 3 route and others throughout the competition, check out the Guardian’s interactive guide.

Standings

Pos	Rider	Time
1	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing	3:44:01
2	Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step	0:00:03
3	Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin	0:00:06
4	Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo	0:00:33
5	Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky	0:00:35
6	Daniel Oss (Ita) BMC Racing Team	0:00:42
6	Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx - Quick-Step	Same Time
8	Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team	0:00:44
9	Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team	0:00:48
9	Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky	Same Time

Pos	Rider	Points
1	Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal	55
2	Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo	39
3	Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing	35
4	Mark Cavendish (GBr) Etixx - Quick-Step	26
5	Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step	25
6	Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin	23
7	Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing	20
8	Jan Barta (Cze) Bora-Argon	20
9	Stef Clement (Ned) I AM CYCLING	17
10	Daniel Oss (Ita) BMC Racing	16

Preview

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

After two perfectly flat days in the Netherlands, the Tour moves to Belgium, with one of the more spectacular stages you'll ever see in an opening week. Reminiscent of the Fleche Wallone, one of the sport's most beloved Spring Classics, Stage 3 should provide the first true highlights of the 2015 Tour de France.

Tactics will be key for this stage, as there are some clear differences between Monday's race and the Fleche Wallone. Stage 3 is a lot shorter than the actual Classic, and with so many riders eyeing the general classification, not every team will work to catch an early break. If ever an unknown rider fancied his chances of grabbing the yellow jersey, Monday would be the day.

If the peloton sticks together, however, the finale should be a great one. Hayden Groves, who's riding the Tour a day ahead of the pack to raise money for charity, shared these images, detailing the profile of the stage:

“Mur de Huy” translates as “Wall of Huy” in English, and the name is aptly chosen. It's a surprisingly long, winding climb that grows ever steeper until the final 200 meters, and many a rider has ruined his chances of winning by attacking too early or simply blowing up during the climb.

Garmin-Cannondale's Dan Martin is looking forward to the stage after crashing out of the Fleche Wallone earlier this year:

As Martin puts it, the first week of this year's Tour has an unusual character. Event organisers have chosen for a number of spectacular stages rather than the standard short hops ending in bunch sprints, and as a result, it's hard to predict how the peloton will behave.

Everyone wants to grab a stage on the way to Paris, but must riders will be instructed to hold and remember they still have several rough stages in the high mountains ahead of them.

One rider who won't be holding back is Alejandro Valverde, the clear favourite for Stage 3. The Spanish champion has won the Fleche Wallone three times, and he has made a career out of dominating on short, steep climbs. He knows the Mur de Huy like no other, evidenced by his win earlier this year, when he timed his jump to perfection:

The 35-year-old can climb, but he's always felt more comfortable on the shorter hills compared to the high mountains. Given the ridiculous profile of this year's Tour, it's hard to see him make a real run at the yellow jersey.

Speaking to Cycling News, Bernard Thevenet gave his view on how the stage will play out:

"

There will be an escape, and the peloton will regulate the gap at five minutes until they catch them late in the stage. I don’t think there will be big gaps on this stage – the Mur de Huy is still only a short climb. But the peloton will be extremely nervous on the run-in and riders still run the risk of losing time in a crash. The favourites have to be in the front in the final five kilometres before the foot of the climb, in order not to have any nasty surprises.

"

Don't be shocked if the peloton fails to catch the break on Monday. Not everyone will be willing to chase hard after a bunch of riders who won't play any role of significance in the mountains, particularly this early in the Tour.

Winning on the Mur of Huy would be a huge statement for specialists like Valverde, but this is the Tour de France, not a Classic. We haven't even entered France yet―expect plenty of teams to hold their legs when the chips are down.

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