Le Tour returns to London

On Monday the Tour de France returned to London after a seven year absence as German Marcel Kittel won his second stage in three days in a sprint finish on the Mall.

The race concludes the Tour's brief stay in Britain, which saw the riders begin in Leeds before today's stage from Cambridge to London.

Thousands lined the streets of London, seemingly unperturbed at the fact that today's would-be favourite and home hero Mark Cavendish was absent with a dislocated shoulder sustained on Saturday. The crowd was greeted with warm weather initially, before a light drizzle came down as the cyclists came into the capital.

Felix set up shop at Westminster Place, which the riders passed as Big Ben struck four. By this stage the leading group had a lead of 70 seconds that was never closed down.

Vincenzo Nibali currently holds the maillot jaune, with tour favourite and current champion Brit Chris Froome in fifth, two seconds behind his rival as the tour returns to more familiar surroundings in France.