THE RACE LIVE
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Tom Boonen has achieved his quest of wearing the yellow jersey. The world champion was fourth in the stage and now leads the time trial world champion by one-second in the general classification. The new top five is:
1. Tom Boonen (BEL - QSI)
2. Michael Rogers (AUS - TMO) at 1"
3. George Hincapie (USA - DSC) at 5"
4. Thor Hushovd (NOR - C.A) at 7"
5. Paolo Savoldelli (ITA - DSC) at 15"

Matthias Kessler claimed his first stage win in the Tour de France with an excellent attack on the final climb. The top 10 is:
1. Matthias Kessler (GER - TMO)
2. Michael Rogers (AUS - TMO) at 5"
3. Daniel Benatti (ITA - LAM) at 5"
4. Tom Boonen (QSI - BEL) at 5"
5. Erik Zabel (GER - MRM) at 5"
6. Luca Paolini (ITA - LIQ) at 5"
7. Oscar Freire (ESP - RAB) at 5"
8. Eddy Mazzoleni (ITA - TMO) at 5"
9. Georg Totschnig (AUT - GST) at 5"
10. Fabian Wegmann (GER - GST) at 5"

We are still awaiting confirmation of the stage results but we can report that Tom Boonen (QSI) will wear the yellow jersey in stage four. He leads Michael Rogers (TMO) in the general classification by just one second.

Matthias Kessler has won his first stage of the Tour de France. He finished about 50 meters ahead of a group that included Tom Boonen...

Kessler looks like he will win the stage. He has spoiled the attack by Boogerd and raced to the lead. He is less than 1,000m from the line and you cannot see the peloton in the background...

Kessler is trying to make amends for his last-minute loss yesterday. He has led over the Cauberg and is now racing ahead of the peloton with less than 2km to go.

Michael Boogerd has led the peloton past Arrieta. The latest attack has come from Kessler and Gilbert is right on his wheel.

The stage leader is about to be caught by a rider from the Credit Agricole team.

The peloton is now being controlled by a rider from the Discovery Channel team but Thor Hushovd is also moving forward. This group is 20" behind Arrieta.

The final climb of the stage is just 800m long. It has an average gradient of 7.3 per cent.

Arrieta leads the peloton by 45" with 5km to go. The final challenge of the stage is the Cauberg climb that peaks 2km before the finish.

Arrieta is now the only rider ahead of the peloton. Voigt and Laruent have just been caught. The pace of the pack is being set by a rider from the Liquigas team.

Pineau has been caught and dropped by the peloton. The Bouygues Telecom rider will, however, wear the polka-dot jersey in the fourth stage.

There are now three riders ahead of the peloton. Arrieta leads Voigt and Laruent by 40" and the bunch by 1’15"... the other escapees have all been swallowed up by the bunch.

The stage continues to be led by Arrieta who is now less than 10km from the finish. He is 40" ahead of Voigt & Laurent.

The leader of the Caisse d’Epargne team has abandoned with a fractured right collarbone sustained in a recent crash.

Salvatore Commesso (LAM) has attacked the peloton. He is 1’15" behind Arrieta.

There has been another crash, this time it involves CSC’s Stuart O’Grady. (We don’t have any further information.)

At the top of the fifth climb, the points were won by:
1. Arrieta (A2R) 3pts
2. Laurent (AGR) 2pts - at 10"
3. Voigt (CSC) 1pt - at 15"
Etxebarria was at 38" (not caught by the bunch as previously reported). Pineau was at 55" and the peloton at 1’15".

Voigt briefly joined Arrieta and Laurent at the front of the stage but the German is unable to maintain the pace. The latest surge has come from Arrieta who now leads Laurent by about 100m. The others from the big escape group have been swallowed up by the peloton.

The winner of the stage to Courchevel in last year’s Tour, Alejandro Valverde has just abandoned the Tour de France. He was caught up in a crash and it appears as though he may have broken his collarbone.

One of the favourites for the 2006 Tour de France, Valverde (CEI) is still sitting on the side of the road. He does not appear interested (or able) to get back on his bike... we will report on his condition shortly.

Valverde is holding his collarbone and is sitting on the side of the road getting treatment from the Tour’s medical staff.

There has been another crash in the peloton. It includes one of the favourites for today’s stage, Alejandro Valverde.

Arrietas has bridged the gap to the Christophe Laurent. Voigt is now in pursuit of the two stage leaders.

Christophe Laurent has attacked the lead group just as they passed under the 20km to go banner. The Agritubel rider has a lead of about 150m.

Iban Mayo is one of numerous riders to puncture in the last 50km or so. He has been helped back to the peloton by a number of his Euskaltel team-mates.

The five escapees continue to share the work but, as we’ve come to expect, Voigt is doing double-time at the front. His efforts cannot, however, hold off the peloton which is closing in fast. The main pack is now 1’30" behind.

The leaders are less than 25km from the end of the stage. They are 1’40" ahead of the peloton that is led by riders from Quickstep.

At the top of the 4th climb, the peloton was 1’55" behind the five escapees.

The points for the Cote de Loorberg (189km) were won by:
1. Jerome Pineau (BTL) 3pts
2. Jose Luis Arrieta (A2R) 2pt
3. Jens Voigt (CSC) 1pt

For a moment it appeared as though Boogerd was going to break free of the peloton. He was part of a four-man escape attempt, but they have been reeled in.

There are three riders, including Michael Boogerd (RAB), with a slight advantage on the peloton as they approach the Cote de Loorberg. They are 2’10" behind Voigt, Etxebarria, Pineau, Arrieta and Laurent.

The winner of this year’s Milan-San Remo Classic Filippo Pozatto has been dropped by the peloton.

The peloton is now just 2’30" behind the five escapees.

The five escapees have just crossed the Dutch border. They have less than 30km to go in the stage and, for the moment, continue to swap off with relatively even turns of pace.

The efforts of the Quickstep, Milram and Rabobank riders at the head of the peloton is yielding a reward. They are now 2’55" behind the five escapees who gained a maximum lead of 6’10" at the 100km mark.

The Milram team is mixing it up with Rabobank at the head of the peloton. They are putting in a strong pursuit of the five escapees and both squads have riders who have previously won at the top of the Cauberg. Michael Boogerd won the Amstel Gold Race in 1999 and Erik Zabel claimed the win in the Dutch Classic the following year.

Laurent’s atttack didn’t last long. The Agritubel rider is already back with the four other escapees.

A brief surge from Jens Voigt has been the catalyst for the riders in the escape group to start attacking each other. Well, so far it’s only Christophe Laurent who has shown that he’s willing to try and go alone... head leads Voigt, Etxebarria, Pineau and Arrieta by about 100m.

At the site of the third sprint, the peloton was 3’10" behind the five escapees. The work has been done by riders from Quickstep, Liquigas and Milram recently.

The five leaders are less than 40km from the finish of the third stage. The only signs of aggression up front have come in the lead-up to the acquisition of climbing and sprinting points. Voigt appeared keen to control his posse in Aubel, but Arrieta raced ahead to claim the points and time bonus.

The points for the sprint in Aubel (176.5km) were won by:
1. Jose Luis Arrieta (A2R) 6pts/6"
2. Jens Voigt (CSC) 4pts/4"
3. Christophe Laurent (AGR) 2pts/2"

The bunch is now being led by riders from the Liquigas, Quickstep, Milram and Rabobank teams. The latest check has this group 3’40" behind Voigt, Etxebarria, Pineau, Arrieta and Laurent.

The pace of the peloton has really picked up recently. It is now 3’50" behind the five leaders who are 5km away from the third intermediate sprint of the stage.

At the top of the third climb (165.5km), the peloton is 4’20" behind the five escapees.

By winning each of the three climbs so far today, Jerome Pineau is equal with Davide De la Fuente at the top of the climbing classification.

The points at the top of the Cote de Petit-Rechain (at 165.5km) were were by:
1. Jerome Pineau (BTL) 3pts
2. Jens Voigt (CSC) 2pts
3. Jose Luis Arrieta (A2R) 1pt

Both Rodriguez and Dekker have finished their 2006 Tour de France in an ambulance. There are now 173 riders left in the race.
Dekker has fractured a collarbone but we don’t have details of Rodriguez’s injuries.

We have confirmation that the two riders in the recent crash are Fred Rodriguez (DVL) and Erik Dekker (RAB). It has been reported that the Dutchman has broken his collarbone.

There are two riders involved in the crash. One is certainly Fred Rodriguez of the Davitamon-Lotto team and we believe the other is Erik Dekker. Both are still on the ground and receiving treatment from the Tour’s medical staff.

There has been a crash in the peloton. It appears to be Erik Dekker but we await confirmation.

The next challenge in today’s stage is the Cote de Petit-Rechain, a category-four ascent that’s 1.7km long with an average gradient of 4.7 per cent. The summit is at the 165.5km mark.

The peloton has just crested the 2nd climb. It was 5’05" behind Voigt, Etxebarria, Pineau, Arrieta and Laurent.

The peloton is now 1km away from the top of the second climb. Credit Agricole coontinues to set the pace and right behind are a number of riders from the Phonak team.

The points at the top of the Cote de Oneux (at the 155km) mark were won by:
1. Jerome Pineau (BTL) 4pts
2. Unai Etxebarria (EUS) 3pts
3. Christophe Laurent (AGR) 2pts
4. Jens Voigt (CSC) 1pt

Pineau has attacked the lead group and is racing away to claim first place points at the top of the 2nd climb.

The peloton is now being led by seven riders from the Credit Agricole team. This group is now 5’20" behind the five escapees.

The five escapees are taking relatively even turns of pace on the Cote de Oneux. There have been no attacks from Voigt, Etxebarria, Pineau, Arrieta and Laurent since they joined forces at the front of the stage at the 17km mark.

Voigt, Etxebarria, Pineau, Arrieta and Laurent are now 3km from the top of the Cote de Oneux. Pineau’s manager, Jean-Rene Bernaudeau has told France Television that his rider in the escape is keen to try and claim as many climbing points as possible today. He is currently fourth in the race for the polka-dot jersey with just three points. His group of five is now 5’05" ahead of the peloton.

Voigt, Etxebarria, Pineau, Arrieta and Laurent are almost at the category-three Cote de Oneux. This is a 3.2km long with an average gradient of 5.1 per cent. The summit is at the 155km mark.

As the peloton crossed the line for the intermediate sprint in Spa, it was led by two riders from Credit Agricole. The deficit of this group to the five leaders was 4’35".

The points for the second intermediate sprint at the 144km mark of stage three were won by:
1. Jens Voigt (CSC) 6pts/6"
2. Jose Luis Arrieta (A2R) 4pts/4"
3. Christophe Laurent (AGR) 2pts/2"

The leaders have contested the intermediate sprint in Spa at the 144km mark. Jens Voigt claimed the six points for first but we await confirmation of the minor places.

It appears that Davitamon-Lotto is prepared to try and put the work in to try and set up another bunch sprint. The team has two riders at the head of the peloton at the moment. It appears that Robbie McEwen is prepared to try for a second successive stage victory despite some comments of team manager Marc Sergeant yesterday.
“The two other guys who were second and third in stage two lost a lot of energy in the intermediate sprints," said Sergeant about yesterday’s stage. "We made the decision to let a younger guy, Geert Steegmans, to go and fight with Boonen and Hushovd and of course he didn’t win but he made things a little more difficult for them.
“The stage win was the biggest priority. We have that now and we know that the stage to Valkenburg will be difficult. It’s a stage that’s more for Hushovd than Robbie but anyway, if they’re going to try and attack at the beginning of the Cauberg is something I’m not sure about but maybe Robbie can be a big surprise.
“Robbie gets better every year. Last year he won three stages at both the Giro and the Tour and everybody expects him to win now. But I’m just happy that he’s already won something in this Tour and maybe he won’t be there in stage three but the day after there are opportunities for him again. We’ll put the team to work because we believe in him.”

There are two riders from the Davitamon-Lotto team setting the pace for the peloton. Nestled in behind Vansevenant and Vansummeren are a number of Phonak riders. The main pack is now 4’35" behind the five escapees.

The peloton was 4’35" behind Etxebarria (EUS), Pineau (BTL), Arrieta (A2R) and Laurent (AGR) at the top of the Cote de la Haute-Levee (131km).

The points for the category-three Cote de la Haute-Levee were won by:
1. Jerome Pineau (BTL) 4pts
2. Unai Etxebarria (EUS) 3pts
3. Christophe Laurent (AGR) 2pts
4. Jens Voigt (CSC) 1pt

The year that Bernard Hinault won Liege-Bastogne-Liege in attrocious conditions that included snow for much of the day, he made his winning move in Stockeau. By the time he reached the Cote de la Haute-Levee, he was all alone.
"The action in today’s stage will really begin now," said Hinault. "Up until now it’s been a matter of allowing the escape to gain a reasonable margin but the undulations from here until the finish should made things interesting."

With the five leaders about 1,500m from the top of the first climb, the peloton is 5’05" behind.

As it exits the feedzone, the peloton is now being led by riders from the Davitamon-Lotto team. It’s the first time today that Credit Agricole riders are not in charge of the main pack.

Voigt (CSC), Etxebarria (EUS), Pineau (BTL), Arrieta (A2R) and Laurent (AGR) are now on the Cote de la Haute-Levee. There are huge crowds on this 3.6km long ascent that has an average gradient of 5.5 percent. The quintet has been working well together since the 17km mark; right now Pineau is setting the pace ahead of Etxebarria and Arrieta.
The peloton is 5’25" behind as they pass through the feedzone.

Voigt (CSC), Etxebarria (EUS), Pineau (BTL), Arrieta (A2R) and Laurent (AGR) are now in the feedzone at the 122.5km mark. The peloton is currently 6’00" behind.

The first of the six categorized climbs in stage three is the Cote de la Haute-Levee (at the 131km mark). This ascent is the six climb in the oldest of all Spring Classics, Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Today’s stage also boasts the Cauberg, the climb made famous by the Amstel Gold Race. This ascent is just 2km from the conclusion today.

The peloton is now in Bovigny at the 100km mark of the 216.5km stage. It is 6’10" behind Voigt’s quintet.

When Lance Armstrong returned to racing after his chemotherapy for cancer, he made a big impression at the world championships that were contested in Valkenburg in October 1998.
The Texan had finished fourth overall in the Vuelta A Espana and, a few weeks later at the site of today’s finish, he claimed fourth in both the time trial and road race at the world championships.

With the peloton at the 95km mark, the advantage of the leading quintet has grown to 5’45". This is the biggest lead of the escape that was begun by Voigt at the 14km mark.

The peloton has just crossed the border from Luxembourg to Belgium. It is still being led by riders from the Credit Agricole team and is 5’25" behind Voigt, Arrieta, Etxebarria, Pineau and Laurent.

“The stage to Valkenburg will be slightly tougher than the one to Esch-sur-Alzette," said the winner of stage two, Robbie McEwen (DVL).
"I think it will be very difficult to escape on the final climbs. I expect all the sprinters will be there and the guys who have survived the last rises well, will still have the strength to fight for the win.
“Hushovd, Boonen, Freire, Zabel and O’Grady all get over the hills well. The climbs shouldn’t worry those guys too much and hopefully I’ll be there too and will be able to go for another stage win."

This is the ninth time that a stage of the Tour will be decided on Dutch soil. The previous visits to ’Pays Bas’, and the winners, were:
1969: Stevanes (BEL), Maastricht
1973: Teirlinck (BEL), Rotterdam
1973: Zoetemelk (NED), time trial in Scheveningen
1978: Raas (NED), Sint Willebrord
1978: Raas (NED), time trial in Leiden
1992: Delion (FRA), Valkenburg
1996: Zülle (SUI), Prologue s’Hertogenbosch
1996: Moncassin (FRA), s’Hertogenbosch

The leading quintet covered 42.2km in the second hour of racing today. The average for the first two hours is 43.6km/h.

Jens Voigt, Jose Luis Arrieta, Unai Etxebarria, Jerome Pineau and Christophe Laurent are now 5’35" ahead of the peloton which is in Lausdorn at the 81km mark.

There are eight riders from The Netherlands in the 93rd Tour de France, including the new national champion Michael Boogerd who has been a consistent performer in the Dutch one-day Classic, Amstel Gold. The Rabobank rider won that race in 1999 and has since finished second on four ocassions (in 2000, 2003, 2004 & 2005) and third twice (in 2002 and this year).
There are seven other ’locals’ in the Tour this year: Bram De Groot, Erik Dekker, Joost Posthuma & Pieter Weening (RAB), Koos Moerenhout (PHO), Steven De Jongh & Bram Tankink (QSI).

Today’s stage concludes in Valkenburg, a city in the Dutch province of Limburg which has a rich cycling heritage. This is the first time that a stage of the Tour has ended in The Netherlands since 1996 when the ’Grand Depart’ was in s’Hertogenbosch.

Today escape was instigated by Jens Voigt at the 14km mark. He was joined by Jose Luis Arrieta, Unai Etxebarria, Jerome Pineau and Christophe Laurent at the 17km mark. This quinet quickly established themselves as The Escape of the stage. They are currently 5’15" ahead of the peloton.

The AG2R team has one rider in today’s escape group. LeTour.fr contacted ’directeur sportif’ Vincent Lavenu to get his thoughts on Jose Luis Arrieta’s involvement in the move and how he believes the stage will unfold.
"I was not part of our plan to put Jose Luis into the escape today but the objective was simply to be part of any attacks because the stae is long and hard. If there are seven or eight good riders in an escape, I’m not convinced that the sprinters’ teams will be too interested in chasing. This morning Arrieta decided to be part of the move, even though there are only five but Voigt is doing the work of two men - so it’s almost going exactly according to our plan.
"Voigt is the biggest star of the escape.
"When it comes to Arrieta, I can say that he’s a quality team-mate who is used to doing his share of the work. He’s used to ’eating wind’ and is not afraid by the prospect of a long stage."

Thor Hushovd’s team-mates are the riders who are helping to keep the escape honest. Credit Agricole has been at the head of the peloton since around the 20km mark.

Jens Voigt, Jose Luis Arrieta, Unai Etxebarria, Jerome Pineau and Christophe Laurent are not being allowed to increase their advantage on the peloton which is now 5’00" behind.
The maximum gain of the leading quinet so far today was 5’20".

Voigt (CSC), Arrieta (A2R), Etxebarria (EUS), Pineau (BTL) and Laurent (AGR) are currently in Hoscheid at the 60.5km mark. The peloton is still 5’20" behind.

The third stage of the 93rd Tour will be raced in three countries. The first 91km are in Luxembourg, then 89km in Belgium before concluding in the Netherlands.

One of the riders in today’s escape group tried his luck with an escape in the mid-week Spring Classic, Fleche Wallonne. Jose Luis Arrieta (A2R) joined Frederic Finot in an attack at the 25km of the 202km race.
They reached a maximum advantage over the peloton of 7’35" but they were caught at the start of the second ascent of the famous Mur de Huy.

Voigt’s group appears destined to be allowed to increase its advantage on the peloton during the early phase of today’s stage. The Last time check had the escapees 5’20" ahead when the peloton passed the 49km mark.

As the bunch reach the 46km mark, it is 5’00" behind Voigt (CSC), Arrieta (A2R), Etxebarria (EUS), Pineau (BTL) and Laurent (AGR).

The five escapees have set an average speed of 45.0km/h in the first hour of stage three. They are currently 4’45" ahead of the peloton.

The end of the third stage is contested on the same roads as the Dutch one-day Classic, Amstel Gold. LeTour.fr contacted one of the CSC team’s directeur sportifs and asked him what he believed would happen today.
“This stage is not exactly like the Amstel Gold race but the finish is similar," said the Frenchman. "Furthermore it is a completely different set-up because it’s part of the Tour de France and it’s also a lot hotter than when the Amstel Gold is contested in April. But we want our riders to try and take advantage of the situation; Frank Schleck is certainly determined to try and make an impression today and we’ll see how we’re placed in the final 15km.
“The stage is also well suited to the strengths of Stuart O’Grady so we have several cards to play. The problem will be if the sprinters’ teams control the situation then other squads won’t be able to have much of an impression until the time trial in Rennes.”

The advantage of the leading quintet is 4’25" as the peloton passes the site of the intermediate sprint in Mersch at the 35km mark.
The bunch is being led by the Credit Agricole team.

The five escapees are currently 3’55" ahead of the peloton. Voigt (CSC), Arrieta (A2R), Etxebarria (EUS), Pineau (BTL) and Laurent (AGR) have contested the first intermediate sprint of the stage and the points were won by:
1. Jens Voigt (CSC) 6pts/6"
2. Jose Luis Arrieta (A2R) 4pts/4"
3. Christophe Laurent (AGR) 2pts/2"

The peloton has just passed through Kopstal (23km) and is 2’10" behind Voigt (CSC), Arrieta (A2R), Etxebarria (EUS), Pineau (BTL) and Laurent (AGR).

The five escapees are now 1’50" ahead of the peloton which is at the 21.5km mark and is being led by riders from the Credit Agricole team of the overall leader, Thor Hushovd.

Jens Voigt (CSC) is the best-placed on GC of the five riders that are now 1’25" ahead of the peloton. The German who has worn the yellow jersey twice before (in 2001 and 2005, both times he had the overall lead for just one stage).
Voigt began the stage in 47th place 36" behind his former team-mate Hushovd (C.A).

The five stage leaders have an advantage of 45" on the peloton at the 18.5km mark.

The five escapees - Voigt (CSC), Etxebarria (EUS), Arrieta (A2R), Laurent (AGR) and Pineau (BTL) - are now 30" ahead of the peloton.

The four counter attackers have caught Jens Voigt. There are now five riders with a lead of 25" on the peloton at the 17km mark.

Arrieta (A2R), Pineau (BTL), Laurent (AGR) and Etxebarria (EUS) are now in pursuit of Voigt who attacked at the 14km mark. He has a lead of 12" on the peloton and the counter attackers are about to join the stage leader.

The pace of the peloton is really winding up today and it is spoiling the attempts of the early aggressors. The latest rider to attack is Jens Voigt (CSC). He is at the 15km mark and has a lead of 8" on Pineau (BTL) and 12" on the peloton.

The bid by Wegmann amounted to nothing. He has been caught by another surge. The latest bout of action has come from Auge (COF), De la Fuente (SDV) and Galvez (CEI). The bunch is at the 14km mark and being controlled by the CSC team.

The peloton is all together after 11.5km of racing. There have been a couple of escape attempts but none have been successful yet. The latest to try his luck is the ever-aggressive Fabian Wegmann (GST).

Christophe Laurent (AGR) and Isaac Galvez (CEI) are the latest riders to try and break free of the peloton. Their attempt didn’t last long and they are already back in the pack.

There are three intermediate sprints in stage three. They are in Mersch (at 35.0km), Spa (144.0km) & Aubel (176.5km). There are both points for the green jersey and time bonuses on offer for the first three riders across the line (6pts/6", 4pts/4" and 2pts/2").
The leader of the points classification after three days of racing is Robbie McEwen (DVL). He has 65pts, three more than Thor Hushovd (C.A) and 16 more than Tom Boonen (QSI).

The attempt by Joly and Weening amounted to nothing they have already been reeled in by the peloton.

Sebastian Joly (FDJ) was the first rider to attack in stage three. He has been joined by Peter Weening of the Dutch Rabobank team.

So far, 6.5km have been raced in stage three. At that mark no attacks had yet been launched.

There are six climbs in today’s 216.5km stage from Esch-sur-Alzette to Valkenburg. The climbing classification is currently led by one of yesterday’s early aggressors, David De la Fuente (SDV). He has 14 points, two more than Gerolsteiner’s Fabian Wegmann.
The climbs today are as follow: Cote de la Haute Levee (cat-3 at 131.0km), Cote de Oneux (cat-3, 155.0km), Coe de Petit-Rechain (cat-4, 165.0km), Cote de Loorberg (cat-4, 189.0km), Cote de Tintelen (cat-4, 201.0km) & Le Cauberg (cat-3, 214.5km).
Points for cat-4 ascents are: 3, 2 & 1 for the first three riders at the summit.
For cat-3 rises, the allocation is: 4, 3, 2 & 1.

The peloton is still all together so far today with no early attacks like the past couple of stages.

The third stage of the 93rd Tour de France officially began at 12.10pm. Despite several crashes in stage two, there were no overnight retirements although several riders did need to visit the race doctors to have injuries tended to.

The peloton has left the site of the ’depart fictif’. There were 175 riders at the sign on, meaning there have been no overnight retirements. The sun is shining in Esch-sur-Alzette and the temperature at the start is around 30 degrees Celsius.

The 216.5km third stage from Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg to Valkenburg, Netherlands is scheduled to begin at midday. There is a 4.4km neutral zone before the peloton will arrive at the site of the official start. That is expected to be at around 12.10pm. Live coverage will begin shortly.
It is already very hot at the site of today’s finish and the Dutch weather bureau believes that it may well be the hottest day of the year with temperatures expected to rise above 35 degrees Celsius.