Spectacle in Northampton! Brave breakaway riders seem to make it, but sprint is again for Magnier

The big, oversized Northampton criterium. That could have been the name of the fifth stage in England. Because with the start and finish in that city, we made a giant loop through the hinterland. There are hardly any obstacles except for two little hills in the early stages—a new hunting ground for men like Paul Magnier.

Three guys were allowed to color the day's breakaway, including two Brits, who rode through truly enormous hedges of people. Connor Swift (INEOS Grenadiers), Rasmus Pedersen (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), and Matthew Holmes (British selection). They rode to a lead of just under three minutes. With that, their mission seemed hopeless.

However, with ten kilometers to go, the peloton still rode on a significant gap of forty seconds. Were the three in front going to hold on, then? It looked like it. Or... not? The lactic acid was trickling down the final straight stretches; the legs were filling up. The peloton slowly caught sight of the three, and at 1500 meters from the finish, the men had eight seconds left! They didn't gamble, but the gap was too small. It became sprinting in Northampton. In this, Magnier attacked early in the final turns. He stayed in the lead and simply could not be caught—a brilliant, new victory for the young Frenchman.