Mark Cavendish has won the fifth stage of the 2024 Tour de France, writing cycling history in the process! In the streets of Saint-Vulbas, the Brit proved to be the best sprinter of all, securing his 35th stage win in the Tour and surpassing Eddy Merckx as the joint record holder. Tadej Pogacar remains the overall leader in the GC, after narrowly avoiding a nasty crash along the way.
Just like on the third day, the fifth stage didn't promise much excitement, especially not after the grueling stage over the Galibier that had just been completed. The stage started in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and ended in the small village of Saint-Vulbas, at the foot of the Alps. Along the way, the battle for the green jersey was especially important with two fourth-category climbs waiting. However, a sprint finish seemed inevitable.
Ayuso and Lazkano’s fake breakaway, until two Frenchmen control the early race
Once again, there was little enthusiasm for a breakaway in the flat opening phase. So little, in fact, that Oier Lazkano and fourth in the GC, Juan Ayuso, briefly went on an adventure together. It was a strange sight, as Ayuso was eventually reeled in by his teammate Marc Soler. From there, it was a slow-paced mix of laughing and chatting, with the riders effectively turning the day into a disguised rest day.
Two Frenchmen then decided to seek some airtime: Clément Russo (Groupama-FDJ) and Mattéo Vercher eventually rode together to a 4:30 minute lead, stabilizing the race. Ultimately, Silvan Dillier and good old Tim Declercq mainly took the lead in keeping the advantage within bounds, working for sprinters Jasper Philipsen and Mads Pedersen.
Intermediate sprint and crash stir up otherwise dull stage
After facing stretches of false flats and descents about halfway through the stage, the focus shifted to the intermediate sprints. Russo first picked up a mountain point and also won the sprint for the green jersey. The battle in the peloton, however, was more exciting. Pedersen just edged out Sam Bennett and Biniam Girmay, who also has his sights set on the green jersey. Then, commotion erupted on a completely different level.
In the middle of the slumbering peloton, a speed bump led to a tense moment. Yellow jersey holder Pogacar narrowly avoided a nasty crash and dodged the post, while behind him there was a small domino effect. Everyone managed to continue, but notably, Pello Bilbao was left quite grazed. It seemed as though the peloton woke up because after that, the lead of the two men at the front quickly evaporated.
Minor crashes lead to tense sprint, Cavendish claims coveted record in Saint-Vulbas
The duo’s breakaway ended 35 kilometers from the finish. Meanwhile, rain started to fall, making it crucial for the peloton to stay alert. Abrahamsen grabbed the final climb’s point, slightly strengthening his lead in the mountain classification. During the last significant descent of the day, his team leader Alexander Kristoff of Uno-X crashed. The Norwegian was pretty banged up but managed to continue. Later, Christophe Laporte also crashed due to a road obstacle, highlighting that the French hadn't done their best in ensuring the route's safety for this stage. Laporte, too, managed to carry on.
Fortunately, the weather cleared up nicely in the final stretch. From fifteen kilometers to the finish, it was a squeeze between the sprint trains and the general classification trains. On the wide roads, this went well for a long time. The remarkably recovered Laporte pulled the pack into the final five kilometers. After that, the sprinters' teams took over, with Intermarché-Wanty and Lotto-Dstny, in particular, positioning themselves at the front of the peloton.
The last kilometers revolved around tricky corners. The entire peloton made it through the first two, and the wide road offered plenty of space to move up. At one and a half kilometers from the finish, the Alpecin-Deceuninck jersey moved to the front. Girmay positioned himself among them here. Under the flamme rouge, there was no clear dominant train, and this remained the case until the sprint started. In the sprint, Cavendish timed it perfectly in the end. The 39-year-old Brit convincingly took the stage win that everyone was after. Behind the winner, we also saw a crash in the final hectometer.
Results stage 5 Tour de France 2024
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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