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London • Marcel Kittel has led a sprint to win the 3rd stage of the Tour de France as cycling's greatest race entered London for its last leg in England before crossing the English Channel to France.

The German also won Stage 1 in a sprint. Rain in the City of London doused riders Monday at the end of the 155-kilometer (96-mile) ride from Cambridge toward the finish near Buckingham Palace.

Italy's Vincenzo Nibali retains the overall leader's yellow jersey with a 2-second lead on the most likely contenders to win the three-week race in Paris on July 27.

Riders were to fly across the Channel for the start of Tuesday's Stage 4 — a 163.5-kilometer (105-mile) ride from Le Touquet-Paris Plage to Lille Metropole in northern France.