A late burst of speed gave overall leader Fabian Cancellara a dazzling victory in the third stage of the Tour de France.

The Swiss rider of the CSC team, who took the yellow jersey when he won the prologue in London last weekend, added some panache to the longest stage of this year's race when he broke away from the bunch 300 metres from the finish line.

He showed no mercy to the four fugitives of the day, who finished empty handed after a 230-km breakaway near the start of the 236.5-km stage that ended in the last straight.

Cancellara, who began the day with his hand bandaged after being involved in Monday's massive pile-up in Ghent, caught sprinters Erik Zabel and Danilo Napolitano cold.

German Zabel of the Milram team and Italian Napolitano, who rides for Lampre, finished second and third. German Andreas Kloeden of Astana and Briton David Millar of Saunier Duval retained their second and third places overall.

"It was a really long stage," said Cancellara.

"When I saw the four riders ahead were doing good, I had the feeling I had to work to keep my jersey.

"I knew there were some cobblestones at the very end of the stage and I knew I could attack. It's so nice to win here in Compiegne, right where Paris-Roubaix starts."

Cancellara, a time-trial specialist, won the queen of the classic races last year.

France's Nicolas Vogondy and Mathieu Ladagnous, of the Francaise des Jeux and Agritubel teams respectively, gave the peloton the slip six kilometres after the start.

Though riding at a snail's pace, the duo opened a 16-minute gap with the sprinters' teams unable to collaborate.

About 60 km from the finish, Ladagnous team manager Marc Madiot told his rider through the ear-piece system: "Ok, training is over now. You've been riding at 30 kph, now I want you to speed up to 50 kph."

Vogondy and Ladagnous were joined with 40 km remaining by Belgian Frederik Willems of the Liquigas team and Frenchman Stephane Auge of Cofidis.

Auge, who was first to the top of the fourth-category Blerancourt hill, took the climbers' polka-dot jersey from Millar.

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