Stage Five – A Little Drama, but No Big Changes

Stage Five was expected to be a sprinter’s stage, and it held true to form.  So far this year, no breakaway has come even remotely close to succeeding all the way to the finish.  Cavendish was positioned well at the end, but Greipel and Sagan both came roaring around him on the left at the line.  Greipel grabbed his second stage win, and increased his Green Jersey lead over Sagan by 26 points.  One sprinter who lost his dream today was Nacer Bouhanni.  He crashed early and aggravated pre-Tour injuries, leaving the Tour in an ambulance.  No apparent fractures, but he lost all hope of TDF glory for another year.

All the major contenders for the GC Yellow Jersey managed to stay in the lead peleton, so there was no shuffling of those standings.  Nasty weather and a few crashes, but no big shake-ups today.  Tomorrow and Friday, more of the same?  Maybe some wind along the coast tomorrow could split up the peleton.  GC riders will need to pay attention to avoid any more time losses.

André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal), winner of Stages 2 and 5 (2015), cruising with the peleton in Stage 12 (2014) through Lentilly (village outside of Lyon).   

Joaquim “Purito” Rodriguez (Katusha) wearing the Polka-Dot "King of the Mountains" jersey in Stage 12 (2014) through Lentilly (village outside of Lyon).  Already in Stage 5 (2015) he again carries the same prize jersey.  How long can he keep it?