NBC on Yahoo SportsPhoto finish: Kittel wins third Tour de France stage in four days
The German rider took Stage 4 in a gripping sprint to the finish line
LILLE, France -- Marcel Kittel of Germany has won the fourth stage of the Tour de France -- his third of the race -- in a sprint as the tour returned home from England, with crashes ensnaring some big names.
Vincenzo Nibali of Italy retained the yellow jersey.
Kittel led at the end of the 163.5-kilometer (101-mile) ride from Le Touquet-Paris Plage to Lille Metropole along the Belgian border.
Defending champion Chris Froome fell early in the stage after a rider bumped another into the Briton's front wheel. Froome got up, got bandaged, and got back to the pack. Slovak star Peter Sagan also went down in a spill, and he too recovered.
Before the stage, 2010 winner Andy Schleck dropped out because of a crash injury a day earlier.
-- The Associated Press
