Stage five report ...
Jeremy Whittle reports from a strange day on the Tour that was simultaneously uneventful and eventful ...
The (revised) jerseys after stage five
- Yellow: Adam Yates (Mitchelton Scott)
- Green: Sam Bennett (Deceuninck–Quick-Step)
- Polka-dot: Benoit Cosnefroy (AG2R La Mondiale)
- White: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
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Adam yates is in yellow: The stage itself may have been uneventful, but the aftermath is proving anything but. Julian Alaphilippe has been penalised 20 seconds for illegally taking a bidon inside the final 20 kilometres, which means Adam Yates takes the yellow jersey and Primoz Roglic moves into second place.
Interesting news from France ...
There are unconfirmed reports that Julian Alaphilippe has received some sort of time penalty, which means that Mitchelton-Scott rider Adam Yates has taken over the yellow jersey. More as we get it ...
The jerseys after stage five
- Yellow: Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck–Quick-Step)
- Green: Sam Bennett (Deceuninck–Quick-Step)
- Polka-dot: Benoit Cosnefroy (AG2R La Mondiale)
- White: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
Stage five top three
- Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 4hr 21min 22sec
- Cess Bol (Team Sunweb)
- Sam Bennett (Deceuninck–Quick-Step)
Wout van Aert speaks: “It was a heavy finish,” he says. “It was maybe the most easy stage I ever did in a cycling race because there was no breakaway. But then we had those winds in the end and the last kilometre was slightly uphill. I knew it suited me and I’m just grateful that I had the opportunity to go for it. Now I have my stage win and from now on I will give everything to support my team.”
An email: “The judges have not awarded a combativity prize before,” writes Tom Paternoster-Howe. “They did it in 1995 on the stage the day after Fabio Caseartelli died and the peloton all rolled along the course together.”
Wout van Aert wins: His excellent season continues, as he pulls off a shock stage win by beating Cees Bol. Sam Bennett was third, while Caleb Ewan finished well down the pecking order.
Wout van Aert wins the stage!
The Jumbo–Visma rider catches his rivals napping and wins the stage, surprising everyone. Cees Bol is second by a third of a wheel.
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1km to go: Team Sunweb are on the front, hoping to deliver Cees Bol at the finish. Caleb Ean is biding his time, while Sam Bennett has no team-mates left.
2km to go: Caleb Ewan, Peter Sagan, Cees Bol and Sam Bennett are all in good positions as they prepare to duke it out at the finish. There’s a punchy climb in the distance.
3km to go: The GC teams have done their jobs and now it’s over to the sprinters ...
4km to go: The GC teams have one kilometre to go before getting their leaders inside the three-kilometres mark at which point everyone in the bunch will get the same time.
5km to go: Jumbo Visma on the left and Ineos on the right, with assorted sprinters picking which train to hitch their respective wagons to. Most are going with the team in yellow.
6km to go: The peloton is split in two on both sides of the road, with Jumbo-Visma on the left and Ineos on the right. Peter Sagan and Caleb Ewan are both in good positions as they eye up the stage win.
7km to go: Julian Alaphilippe moves through the bunch to take up a spot tucked in behind the four Ineos riders on the left-hand side of the road.
9km to go: Trek Segafredo move closer to the front of the bunch just behind Ineos as the pace hots up. The peloton is strung out in single file as they go at a scorching pace.
11km to go: “Can the judges decide not to award the combativity award?” asks Patrick Costello. “Or has Cosenfory done enough to earn the award? If the award is relative to the peloton it must be a low bar today.”
I suppose Kasper Asgreen should probably get it for his quickly aborted attack after four kilometres. It will be interesting to see what the judges decide to do.
14km to go: “I was hoping to see more of the mercurial Ecuadorian in the early stages as a ‘puncheur’ type rider similar to Roglic and Alaphillipe,” writes Richie Hutson of his namesake Richie Carapaz. “Perhaps he is following the prevailing Ineos philosophy of easing into the race before unleashing some attacks on the slopes later on with Bernal. Hopefully anyway and he isn’t just suffering with the old bad legs.”
17km to go: With the threat of crosswinds gone, the peloton remains intact as they meander towards what promises to be an intriguing sprint finish. In the iconic polka dot jersey, Benoit Cosnefroy is allowed break clear of the bunch to hoover up the second King of the Mountains point on offer today.
20km to go: Despite his injuries, Pavel Sivakov tries to pace his team-mate back to the tail end of the peloton.
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23km to go: At the back of the peloton, Ineos rider Richard Carapaz punctures. He’s riding in the company of his team-mate Pavel Sivakov, who is still nursing injuries from not one, but two crashes in the opening stage on Saturday. The rest of Team Ineos are at the front of the peloton, looking after Egan Bernal.
23km to go: Sepp Kuss is still struggling to re-attach himself to the peloton as Ineos take control at the front of the peloton and ramp up the pace.
25km to go: Team Ineos and Team Jumbo-Visma are at the front of the bunch.
27km to go: The main GC contenders have all been escorted to the front of the bunch but there are no signs of crosswinds as the peloton remains intact. Sepp Kuss is 30 seconds behind the peloton as he continues playing catch-up after his crash.
32km to go: “I think you’re pretty spot on with your analysis,” writes Mark Seddon, in what must be a first in correspondence from a reader or listener to this reporter. “Jumbo-Visma have paid Ineos/Sky the ultimate compliment by using their playbook of having two genuine contenders (Roglic and Dumoulin), building the strongest team around them (Van Aert, Kuss etc) and then trying to dominate the race.
“Bernal doesn’t look that bad and he is looking to be strong in the third week when the longer climbs should suit him, assuming he hasn’t lost too much time to Roglic in the interim.”
35km to go: The riders of Movistar and Groupama-FDJ move to the front of the bunch. Jumbo-Visma rider Sepp Kuss, an American climber who put in a mighty shift to help Primoz Roglic win yesterday’s stage, hits some road furniture and the deck. He remounts his bike and heads off in pursuit of the peloton, his shirt torn.
40 min: There’s a strong wind blowing as the main stage and GC contenders jockey for position at the front of the bunch, fearing crosswinds. On ITV, Chris Boardman explains that the peloton is now comprised of three different groups: those at the front, those trying to get to the front and those who are happy to be at the back.
Alongside him on co-comms, former Sky rider Pete Kennaugh explains that situations like this can be very stressful, as there’s only so much room on the road and more cyclists than can fit in it who want to occupy the terrain in question.
44km to go: Bahrain–McLaren rider Wout Poels, who is riding with a broken rib and and a bruised lung after crashing during the opening stage, had been dropped but going by his race tracker, he appears to be back in touch.
A question: “In previous years, Team Sky always led the peloton from the front and appeared to dictate the pace,” writes Chris Lamb. “Why aren’t Ineos doing that this year and what does it mean that Jumbo-Visma seem to have taken over that role?”
Well, I think it means Jumbo-Visma are the new schoolyard bullies of the bunch and the ferocious pace they dictated yesterday helped Primoz Roglic win the stage.
Defending champion and Ineos team leader Egan Bernal is apparently carrying an injury and not riding particularly well, so I guess his team-mates are keeping their powder dry until week three, hoping to conserve as much energy as possible while losing as little time as possible. That’s just my two cents, other opinions are available and welcome.
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53km to go: In the polka dot jersey, Benoit Cosnefroy was boxed in on the right side of the road as the peloton approach the top of the climb, but a path opens up for him and he surges clear to take the solitary King of the Mountains point on offer.
Why so quiet at the Tour? Try these: chance of strong cross & headwinds at finish. Serious mountain finish tomorrow & a good chance a break will work. Four hard days racing already & many more to come.
— William Fotheringham (@willfoth) September 2, 2020
How are people indignant about there being no break at the #TDF2020 ? You can’t hold one of the hardest ever Tours on the back of a long competition shutdown and expect the peloton to do backflips following that and the first summit finish. Not if you want a clean sport anyway.
— Sophie Smith (@SophieSmith86) September 2, 2020
57km to go: Rolling! Rolling! Rolling! Keep that peloton rolling! There’s a slight danger of crosswinds, which could blow the peloton apart. Because of this, most of the GC contenders have moved towards the front of the bunch as they hit the slopes of the first of two Cat 4 climbs today.
A great shout from Jeroen Kruijer: “The godfather of all French berserkers has to be Jacky Durand,” he writes.
💛 Bonjour @alafpolak1 💛#TDF2020#TDFunited pic.twitter.com/hgWiXUlHgN
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 2, 2020
73km to go: We’re 20 kilometres from the first climb of the day, the Category 4 Col de Serre Colon, which peaks at 434 metres. There’s one King of the Mountains point up for grabs for anyone who can be bothered contesting it.
75km to go: “Can’t blame the guys for taking it easy after a few tough days in the saddle,” writes Simon Hoer. “I would do the same. What’s the average speed during a lazy day in the saddle for pros?”
Funnily enough, while nothing is happening this afternoon, it’s actually happening quite quickly. The average speed of the peloton for today has been just under 41 kilometres per hour, which is pretty fast.
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Feeding time: It’s the highlight of the day for the riders as they pass through the feeding station, take their musettes full of grub, sling them over their shoulders and start depositing the goodies contained within into the pockets of their jerseys. Here, courtesy of the Global Cycling Network, is everything you need to know about what cyclists eat on the road ...
78km to go: “Rather than being boring, there are few things more relaxing than just watching the peloton cruise through the countryside and little French towns,” writes George Young. “Granted, it doesn’t make for the most gripping of live blogs but, like a quiet period in a county cricket match, sometimes it’s nice to have a snooze while watching some elite sport.”
Sam Bennett in virtual green: With points still up for grabs at the end of the stage, Sam Bennett is the virtual leader in the Green Jersey points category over Peter Sagan. His fellow gaels Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche are the only Irishmen to have worn it in the past.
80km to go: Nothing is happening.
An email: “Mention of French berserkers brings to mind nominative determinism’s Tony Gallopin,” writes Brian Hudner. “No break was too ill-fated, no windmill went untilted.”
ICYMI: Watch @friebos's feature about the wonderful Luis Ocaña with anecdotes from Marc Madiot and Bernard Thevenet. pic.twitter.com/iHmbzPAci7
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) September 2, 2020
89km to go: The peloton rolls over a bridge on the outskirts of Les Pilles. Jungels drums on his pedals, dictating the pace at the front of the bunch. With his forearms resting on his handlebars and his hands hanging over the front, he looks completely bored.
93km to go: “Would they be as well to put them all on a bus and restart the stage with 5km to go?” asks Esmonde, as ITV pause their coverage for an extended advert for eFOLDI mobility scooters that has been far more entertaining than anything the peloton has served up so far this afternoon. They’re the lightest and most compact folding powered scooter of their type in the world.
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99km to go: Huge excitement at the front of the bunch as Bob Jungels sits up, has a bit of a stretch, scratches the back of his neck and then hunkers back into position over his handlebars. His autobiography, should he choose to write one, promises to be a real treat. I for one can’t wait to read The Jungels Book.
An email: “Further to Patrick Costello’s point about Pierre Roland,” writes Tony Regan. “There was a point a few years ago where there seemed to be a whole gang of French berserkers, getting in every break ultimately to no avail. I’m sure there were others, but off the top of my head: Rolland, Sylvain Chavanel, Sandy Casar, Jeremy Roy and of course Thomas Voeckler, whose efforts were rewarded by some heroic stints in yellow.”
106km to go: Deceuninck-Quick Step road captain Bob Jungels is towing the peloton along on what has been one of the most boring stages in living memory.
Intermediate sprint result
1. Bennett (20 points)
2. Morkov (17)
3. Ewan (15)
4. Sagan (13)
5. Coquard (11)
6. Kristoff (10)
7. Trentin (9)
8. Bonifazio (8)
9. Oss (7)
10. Viviani (6)
11. Laporte (5)
12. Nizzolo (4)
13. Oliveira (3)
14. Barthe (2)
15. Kluge (1)
An email: “Where is Pierre Rolland of old, doomed breakaways with his over dramatic suffering grimace?” asks Patrick Costello. “His doomed breakaway yesterday was particularly doomed. End of an era?”
123km to go: It’s as you were and almost certainly will be for some time to come.
Four withdrawals so far: Lotto-Soudal riders John Degenkolb and Philippe Gilbert came a cropper on the attritional first stage along with Bahrain-McLaren’s Rafael Valls. Degenkolb finished outside the time limit after crashing and injuring both knees, while Gilbert also finished the stage put was forced to pull out of the race with a broken patella.
The peloton lost another rider to injury in stage three when Cofidis rider Anthony Perez crashed into his own team car on a descent and was thrown into a wall. The 29-year-old fractured two ribs, suffered a collapsed lung and extensive bruising, and also needed stitches in his knee and back.
“It happened too quickly,” he told L’Equipe. “I didn’t have time to be afraid. I especially felt a great pain after the fall, I could not breathe and I understood immediately that it was not right. But I still tried to get back on the bike.”
132km to go: It doesn’t even have to be a big one. Just three or four no-marks from one or two of the wildcard teams who are sent off on a kamikaze run to spend some time in the spotlight, have their ears assaulted by helicopters overhead and get some publicity for their teams.
134km to go: With what passed for a brief flurry of excitement concluded, nothing is happening again. Won’t somebody in that peloton please, please think of those of us typing rolling reports on this stage and launch a doomed breakaway?
135km to go: Sam Bennett takes the points at the intermediate sprint with a minimum of fuss. Peter Sagan is unable launch an attack and it looks like he might have a genuine rival for green this year.
137km to go: The sprinters’ teams gather at the front of the bunch in preparation for the intermediate sprint. They’ve just negotiated a small hill at 25km per hour.
140km to go: Exciting news! The peloton has just passed the sign telling them the intermediate sprint is just five kilometres away.
Caleb Ewan speaks: Asked about today’s finish, the Australian Lotto-Soudal rider told ITV he was praying for a headwind. He said he expects the conclusion of today’s stage to be chaotic, with everyone trying to be at the front of the bunch as they negotiate lots of roundabouts, small hills and narrow little streets.
Interestingly, the sprinters contesting today’s finish will not actually see the line until the final 100 metres. Ewan will hope to surf the wheels of other riders after getting a lead-out from his team-mate Jasper De Buyst.
143km to go: Nothing is happening.
144km to go: Nothing is happening.
Why hasn't someone launched a forlorn attack that will be kept at 4 minutes and reeled in with 40km to go yet? #TDF2020
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) September 2, 2020
Today’s intermediate sprint: We’ll see some action at the 48-kilometre mark, at L’Epine.
This could be a long and uneventful afternoon: Nobody is showing the slightest inclination to break away from the peloton, which is rolling along at a very gentle pace.
Racing is under way in stage five ...
Well, up to point. After a fairly brutal start to this year’s Tour, certainly compared to other years, today’s stage should be a nice easy one for the riders. After about 15 kilometres, the peloton is still rolling along at a fairly sedate pace with no breakaway group having made a run for it yet.
Deceuninck-Quick Step’s Kasper Asgreen tried to bolt after four kilometres but was reeled in by Thomas De Gendt, who is peloton pacemaker. His team-mate Caleb Ewan will be hoping to win his second stage of this year’s Tour today.
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Race director Christian Prudhomme on today’s stage: “The journey through Provence will take the riders on the lands of olive trees as they go past Nyons and then to the kingdom of ‘nougat’ in the city of Montélimar,” he said. “But once in the Rhone Valley, the cycling speciality really is the bunched sprint. At the end of an uphill false-flat road on several kilometres, the one in Privas will concern the finest of specialists.”
Jersey wearers after Stage Four
- Yellow: Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck Quick-Step)
- Green: Peter Sagan (Bora Hansgrohe)
- Polka-dot: Benoit Cosnefroy (AG2R La Mondiale)
- White: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
Stage Four recap
Julian Alaphilippe remains in yellow while Team Ineos leader Egan Bernal is struggling, but a month after the collision that ended his participation in the Critérium du Dauphiné, Jumbo-Visma rider and race favourite Primoz Roglic was first over the line at Orcières-Merlette in the Hautes-Alpes. Jeremy Whittle was there for the Guardian ...
Stage five: Gap to Privas (183km)
From William Fotheringham’s stage-by-stage guide: “Largely downhill, this is another one earmarked for the sprinters,” he writes. “But the finish merits a closer look, climbing gradually in the final eight kilometres. Might favour a “punchy” finisher such as the Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet or Milan-San Remo winner Wout van Aert.”
