Tour de France stage 5 LIVE result: Tadej Pogacar takes time from rivals as Simon Clarke wins stage
Re-live all the updates as the peloton took on 11 treacherous cobblestone sectors en route from Lille to Arenberg Port du Hainaut
Tadej Pogacar passed his first Tour de France test with flying colours when he gained time over all his rivals on the cobbled roads in a vintage fifth stage on Wednesday.
The two-time defending champion, who was expected to suffer on the 19km of cobbles peppering the 157-km ride from Lille, finished 51 seconds behind stage winner Simon Clarke of Australia but left the overall contenders behind.
“It was a really good day for me, I didn’t have any bad luck and I felt good on the cobbles,” said Pogacar, who as a professional has never taken part in the Paris-Roubaix cobbled classic. “I could not stay strong until the end but I tried.”
Pogacar jumped away from the group of leading contenders with Belgian Jasper Stuyven and built a lead of almost a minute before running out of gas in the finale. “But for sure it’s a confidence booster. I have good sensations,” he added.
Clarke prevailed in a lung-busting sprint finish to beat Dutchman Taco van der Hoorn and Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen, who were second and third, respectively.
Wout van Aert retained the overall lead at the end of a bad day for his Jumbo Visma team, with Primoz Roglic, runner-up in 2020 and one of the pre-race favourites, losing more than two minutes to fellow Slovenian Pogacar after a crash that left him with a dislocated shoulder. It was popped back in by his team staff but Roglic is now already trailing Pogacar by more than two minutes.
Re-live all the action live below.
Tour de France stage 5
52km to go: QuickStep attack as they hit the second cobbled section! Kasper Asgreen and Michael Morkov are the two that surge off the front, and the peloton is stretched out behind them.
Tour de France stage 5
The breakaway six hit the next cobbled section. The dust is flying, it’s clearly very dry out there, which they will be grateful for as their bones shudder over the pavé.
Tour de France stage 5
A crash! Anthony Turgis seemed to get his bike tangled with another bike at the back of the pack, and it’s another innocuous fall. None of the day’s crashes have come on the cobbles, although perhaps the nerves which the cobbles generate are playing a part. Turgis is back on his way.
A reminder that there are still no abandonments from this Tour, which is pretty unusual at this stage.
Tour de France stage 5
60km to go: Geraint Thomas and Tadej Pogacar are making a deliberate ploy of riding near the front here, they do not want to get caught in any mes that might occur on the cobbles. The tricky second sector of the day is coming up shortly.
Tour de France stage 5
The next cobbled sector has been widely tipped as the most dangerous of the 11 today. It’s narrow and it’s downhill, which means it’s very, very fast.
Tour de France stage 5
65km to go: An attack off the front of the peloton on the first cobbled section by Mads Pedersen and Jack Bauer, which doesn’t stick – that feels like a waste of energy for one of today’s favourites, Pedersen. The breakaway’s lead is down to around three minutes.
Tour de France stage 5
Another crash! Vegard Stake Laengen and Peter Sagan come together and go down before the first cobbled sector, but they are back on the road.
Tour de France stage 5
The speed has cranked up as the peloton approaches the cobbles...!
Tour de France stage 5
Here we go then, the first sector of 11 cobbled stretches await. The breakaway is approaching with a gap still around four minutes. A reminder of the day’s route map, which also contains a key of sector difficulties in the top-right corner.
Tour de France stage 5
85km to go: Van Aert is slowly making his way back to the main bunch after that fall, helped by his teammate Kruijswijk and by his Jumbo-Visma mates at the front urging the peloton to slow and wait. The six-man breakaway remains around four minutes clear of the rest.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments