A.S.O. makes a tough call after massive crash involving Evenepoel, Roglic, and Visma riders: no winner for stage 5 of the Dauphiné

Things went terribly wrong on Thursday afternoon during the fifth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, where a large part of the peloton crashed in the pre-finale. Among those affected on the wet French roads were Remco Evenepoel, Primoz Roglic, and Dylan van Baarle, so the organization decided not to declare a winner for the stage.

Before the stage, the main question was how many riders would opt for an early breakaway. After all, the hilly course of the fifth stage was quite suitable for an attempt by the all-rounders in the pack. With a flat finish in Saint-Priest, it was also the last chance for the sprinters. How much control would teams like Lidl-Trek and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale take?

Le Berre continues to collect points for the polka dot jersey, Soudal Quick-Step and Lidl-Trek take control

In the end, the real fight for the breakaway did not materialize. That might even be an understatement. Three riders broke away early, received the peloton's blessing, and built up a maximum lead of five minutes: polka dot jersey wearer Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Tobias Bayer (Alpecin-Deceuninck), and Adne Holter (Uno-X Mobility). Le Berre successfully went after more points for his mountain jersey, collecting points on the hills along the way.

In the peloton, the GC teams BORA-hansgrohe, UAE Team Emirates, and INEOS Grenadiers took control. Lidl-Trek also contributed, keeping the breakaway within striking distance. In a slippery descent, Holter briefly went down in a rather nasty crash. His companions waited for him, saw their lead from the already unlikely breakaway slightly decrease, and then stoically continued.

Slipping and sliding on the way to the sprint, when everything goes wrong in the descent

It was quite slippery on the French roads on Thursday afternoon. Where the Norwegian had already fallen earlier, there was also trouble later in the peloton. There were no major casualties, everyone managed to get back on their bikes, but it was a clear warning to be cautious. The lead of the noble trio increased slightly, to about two minutes. Holter, having had enough of the descending, lost his bike computer and let Le Berre and Bayer go on a downhill stretch.

Approximately 25 kilometers from the finish, after several minor crashes along the way, the peloton suddenly encountered a wet road through the French forests. About half of the large group skidded and fell, leading to total carnage. Riders lay bloodied and scattered across the road, and A.S.O. acted promptly: the race was immediately neutralized.

Green jersey holder Roglic and yellow jersey wearer Evenepoel were briefly delayed but eventually got back on their bikes to continue racing. Visma | Lease a Bike was once again heavily affected: Steven Kruijswijk and Dylan van Baarle needed treatment for their injuries, with the latter appearing to be in the worst condition. Both men were taken out of the race by ambulance.

Representing UAE-Team Emirates, Juan Ayuso, Tim Wellens, and Nils Politt were badly involved in the crash, but they were just the tip of the iceberg of this fall in the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Lidl-Trek was leading at the time of the crash and immediately slowed down, but at the back of the peloton, fingers were pointed at the pace set by the German-American team. However, those at the front were unaware of anything, as the sliding began behind them and from that moment on, there was absolutely no stopping it.

In addition to the previously mentioned top riders, others such as Jai Hindley (BORA-hansgrohe), Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step), Oliver Naesen (Decathlon AG2R), Neilson Powless (EF), Magnus Cort (Uno-X), Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), and many other cyclists were also caught in the mayhem of this stage. As soon as more is known about the medical consequences, you will find it on our site.

Footage: Major part of the peloton crashes in the fifth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné