LONDON -- At this point, the top Tour de France sprint star might be called Sir Marcel. Petr Cech Arsenal Jersey . Marcel Kittel, the German with a French first name, led a bunch sprint to win Mondays Stage 3 with a finish on the doorstep of Queen Elizabeths Buckingham Palace. Two days earlier, he courted royal attention as Prince William and Kate saw him win Stage 1 in Yorkshire in another sprint. The stage wrapped up the English debut to this 101st Tour edition, a rousing success among cycling-crazed British fans. Riders hopped on planes and bid "au revoir" to the UK before flying across the English Channel onto the races home turf. Rain in the City of London doused riders at the end of the 155-kilometre (96-mile) ride from the university town of Cambridge to a dramatic finish past landmarks Big Ben and Westminster. Italys Vincenzo Nibali retained the overall leaders yellow jersey with a 2-second lead over the most likely contenders to win the three-week race in Paris on July 27. Svein Tuft was the top Canadian in 138th place, 16 minutes 13 seconds off the lead. Christian Meier, also from Langley, B.C., was 17:31 back in 154th. Kittel, led out perfectly by Giant-Shimano teammates, made it look easy as he sped down a final wide approach on The Mall with Buckingham Palace behind him. Peter Sagan of Slovakia was second and Australias Mark Renshaw was third. "Im really, really happy I could win in front of Buckingham Palace," said Kittel, who won four Tour stages last year. "It was one of the greatest finishes Ive ever seen in front of this great scenery." FIRST PARIS, NOW LONDON The hulking German made it a tale of two cities. He added London glory to his record after also winning on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, in the Tour finale last year. His job in the sprints got a lot easier after Britains Mark Cavendish pulled out of the race after injuring his shoulder in a crash in Saturdays Stage 1. "Its one big opponent that is not in the race anymore," Kittel said. "Of course, that changes things for me, but also for the team." Kittel is no threat for the yellow jersey. Like many sprinters, he struggles on climbs and fell nearly 20 minutes behind Nibali in the overall standings in an up-and-down ride on Sunday through the hills and dales of Yorkshire. Nibalis biggest challengers for the prized leaders shirt remain title-holder Chris Froome of Britain and Spains Alberto Contador, who finished with the same time as the Italian and Kittel in an 84-rider bunch. On Monday, the pack cruised nervously and let two breakaway riders go free on Monday. The duo was caught with about 6 kilometres (4 miles) left. EUROPEAN UNITY AMONG FANS? Tour officials estimated fans made nearly 5 million individual visits -- some may have attended more than one stage -- to the route in the first three stages. In signs of cross-Channel comity, Tour chief Christian Prudhomme took English lessons before the race; Britons waved both French tricolours and their beloved Union Jacks. But the teeming curbs, sidewalks and roadsides again caused trouble for the riders. With about 30 kilometres (19 miles) left, 2010 Tour winner Andy Schleck of Luxembourg was among riders who crashed briefly, and French TV showed a fan on the ground. Schleck, who gingerly returned to the race, said he didnt hit a spectator. "I guess it was my own fault," said Schleck, who collided with another rider and hurtled over his handlebars. His Trek Factory Racing teammate Jens Voigt said: "I saw about 15 crashes today. In the end there were two guys on the ground but I dont know what happened exactly ... Thats the Tour de France. The first week is always nervous." In other spills, Ted King of Cannondale and Jan Bakelants, a Belgian rider on Cavendishs Omega Pharma QuickStep team who wore yellow jersey two days last year, each scraped up their right elbows and knees. Some fans got political. A few held up placards imploring Prime Minister David Cameron not to back a U.S.-European Union free trade pact. Three topless protesters bearing slogans condemning female genital mutilation staged a brief protest near the Houses of Parliament before police bundled them away in fluorescent vests. The course route Monday notably bypassed Trafalgar Square, whose landmark Nelsons Column commemorates a British hero of the Napoleonic Wars. Stage 4 takes riders over 163.5 kilometres (105 miles) from Le Touquet-Paris Plage to Lille Metropole on the border with Belgium. Froomes Team Sky floated the idea that the pack might well ride under the sea rather than fly over it one day, if the Tour ever returns to the UK. The team released a glitzy video Monday saying that last month he became the first man to cycle through the Channel tunnel. In the video, Froome quipped: "This could be a really, really cool stage of a race." Danny Welbeck Arsenal Jersey . While Minnesota takes aim at its eighth win of November, the Canadiens will try to post just their third victory in nine games this month. Hector Bellerin Jersey . The team let Keaton Ellerby, James Wright and Matt Halischuk become unrestricted free agents after declining to make them qualifying offers. Ellerby, 25, appeared in 51 games for the Jets last season and had two goals and four assists. http://www.footballarsenalstore.com/Women-Henrikh-Mkhitaryan-Arsenal-Fc-Jersey/ . Mladenovics quick hands at the net made the difference while Bencics inexperience in doubles showed. "We took a lot of pleasure," Mladenovic told Sport Plus television. "Its extremely difficult to play in such conditions, but our doubles team showed a lot of quality.CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Skip Schumaker is returning to the NL Central, completing a $5 million, two-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday that gives them a versatile player off the bench. Schumaker gets a $2 million base salary next season and $2.5 million in 2015. The deal includes a club option for 2016 with a $2.5 million base and a $500,000 buyout. The 33-year-old Schumaker was drafted by current Reds general manager Walt Jocketty and played his first eight seasons in St. Louis, batting .288 with 23 homers and 211 runs batted in. He played for the Dodgers last season, batting .263 in 125 games with two homers and 30 RBIs. He played second base and all three outfield positions last season. "Im not going to assume anything other than that Ill be off the bench, the role Ive been in the last couple of years in the major leagues," Schumaker said during a conference call. "I dont think it will be that much different -- being used off the bench more than anything." To open a spot on the 40-man roster, the Reds designated outfielder Derrick Robinson for assignment. Robinson split time between Triple-A Louisville and Cincinnati last season, batting .255 in 102 games for the Reds. Schumaker was interested in staying with the Dodgers, but got the impression he wasnt a priorityy during contract talks. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Arsenal Jersey. When the Reds showed an interest, he quickly decided to take the offer rather than go deep into the off-season as a free agent. "I had a great time in LA and especially with the run we had to get to the playoffs, the whole deal of how we started, how we finished -- a pretty amazing run," he said. "I felt there was some unfinished business and maybe going back there. "During negotiations, I kind of felt like maybe I was on the backburner, maybe hold on and sit and wait and see how things developed and what was going on in their organization. And I really didnt want to wait. I felt so good about Cincinnati." The Reds have won 90 games and made the playoffs in three of the last four seasons, but failed to make it past the first round. They fired manager Dusty Baker after they lost the one-game wild card playoff in Pittsburgh. Schumaker said the Reds recent success was a major factor in his decision. "The first thing I wanted to do was sign with a team that has a chance to win," he said. "The Reds have been that way, one of the best teams in the National League the last three or four years. I knew that division really well. Walt Jocketty drafted me and gave me the opportunity to play professional baseball." ' ' '