Three days after his big disappointment in stage 2 Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) took the biggest win of his career when he completed a marvelous solo ride in spectacular fashion on the hilly fifth stage of the Tour de France. The Belgian emerged as the strongest from a 9-rider breakaway and dropped Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) on the final climb before soloing across to the line to take not on the stage victory but also the first yellow jersey of his career. Movistar put the favourites under pressure and that cost Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) a time loss of another 33 seconds and made Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) crack completely.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Greg Van Avermaet: When I am in a breakaway, I am hard to beat

It was a dream come true for Greg Van Avermaet who put in a stunning solo effort that saw him win stage 5 and take the leader’s Yellow Jersey at the Tour de France.

 

Van Avermaet’s incredible performance sees him with a strong lead in the General Classification, 5’11” in front of Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quick Step), and 5’13” in front of Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team).

 

An early breakaway of nine riders including Van Avermaet formed and established a solid lead of over ten minutes in the first 100 kilometers. Van Avermaet attacked from the breakaway with Thomas De Gendt and Andrei Grivko with 120 kilometers to go.

 

Grivko was dropped as they approached the final four climbs, leaving Van Avermaet and De Gendt to battle it out for the victory.

 

Van Avermaet attacked again with 17.5 kilometers to go and powered on to solo to the second Tour de France stage win of his career and first time he has worn the Yellow Jersey.

 

Greg Van Avermaet said:

 

“It feels great. I was never dreaming about the Yellow Jersey but it is a big dream that has come true. I was happy with the stage win last year, but now another stage win and the Yellow Jersey, I think it’s once in a lifetime for me and I’m going to enjoy it as much as possible tomorrow.

 

“I felt pretty good. Grivko was not working at the beginning, Majka was not working, so me and Thomas De Gendt did a really good job. We were the strongest guys from the break I think, and we made the race hard and we made the gap big. We saw that the peloton wouldn’t come back and on this steep climb I felt pretty good and I just went on my own because I was strong enough to hold it to the line.

 

"For me it was a big surprise that I’m riding tomorrow in yellow. I was hoping for it because I was still close in GC. I was still up there. Everything went perfect, and finally I got the stage win and a nice yellow jersey.

 

"I wanted to be sure I had the victory and the yellow. The last km I could enjoy it a bit, but before then there was so much suffering. You have to lose a lot to enjoy the time you are winning.

 

"The Pyrenees will be too hard for me. But one day is enough, afterwards we'll see how long I can keep it.

 

“I think for my type of rider it’s really hard to get the Yellow Jersey and I’m so happy that I have it. The stage win is something but wearing yellow is the most beautiful thing I think for a cyclist.

 

“For me it was a perfect day. For me it was a bit strange. Most of the times I’m a sprinter and I cannot enjoy the moment much because in the sprint you only know it in the last second if you’re going to win or not. This time it was really special. You’re in the biggest race of the year and you can enjoy the moment. That’s something good.

 

“The yellow jersey is the most important for me. The stage win I had last year and that was really special. Wearing yellow for my type of rider is pretty hard to do. I was a few times close but if you’re not the fastest sprinter or don’t have the best time trial then it’s pretty hard to wear this. I will never wear yellow in Paris so it’s good to enjoy this moment. It’s good to have it for me. I’ve got another lion too. I had one already. You know where it’s going to be heading. It’s going to be for Fleur [his daughter]. I left the Tour last year for her. Sunday, the last day in Paris is her birthday. It’s a good moment.

 

“This year was very good with the win in Tirreno and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. I was ready for the classics but then with the crash I think I lost maybe one or two big classics. But now winning in the Tour a second time and wearing yellow jersey a first time is for me a dream. It makes all the suffering and all the disappointments worth it. I never give up. It’s the most important thing I learned in my career. I’ve always worked hard. I’m not always having luck in my life but after so many years and so many hard days, a lot of disappointments, there are also a lot of nice days.

 

“Three years ago I was also a climber when Rogers won the stage. It was also close. I know that if I’m in a breakaway that I’m hard to beat; I can suffer a lot. It’s just a big stage and I had good guys with me. Today I had good breakaway companions, all the conditions were right for me to win.

 

“It was a strange day. The second stage was also a little bit like that when Jasper Stuyven almost made it to the finish. I also had this idea in the morning in the bus that no team really wanted to suffer in the first week. With this in mind I looked who was going. Astana was going, Movistar tried to go in the break a few times. Then I saw a good moment.

 

"You have to be lucky in the Tour to be in the break, that’s for sure. I think I picked the good moment. Then we went and Majka was there. Then I knew we had a chance because it’s hard to bring the breakaway back.

 

“The most decisive moment of the race is that me and De Gendt attacked from the breakaway with three guys because we had only seven minutes. Nobody really wanted to make the gap bigger than that. Thomas and I went for it, full gas. We made the gap bigger, to 14 minutes. It was the most important moment of the day to take the yellow jersey and the stage win.

 

“After I dropped De Gendt, the last 17km were about not crashing. The asphalt was melting and it was very technical. I stayed focused. I knew I was going to take the yellow jersey but only if I was not going to crash. However, I was able to enjoy the last kilometer, which was strange because as a sprinter, you can't enjoy that much, it's too quick. The great feeling is a last minute thing, totally different than riding the last kilometer to get the yellow jersey in the biggest race of the year.

 

“I do not know how long I can keep it, it took a lot of energy. I’ll just enjoy the day tomorrow and then we'll see. It will not be a burden to the team, I think on the contrary it brings confidence and a good mood to the group. We know that the key is to focus on the general classification with Richie Porte and Tejay van Garderen.”

 

Sports director Yvon Ledanois said: “It was always the plan to put Greg in the breakaway today. We knew it was a stage for the breakaway but it wasn’t easy and as well as Greg we also had Amael Moinard and Michael Schar who were looking out for it.

 

”It was a fast, hard stage. When we saw the nine riders who had made it we knew it was a good, strong breakaway. The gap got out to well over ten minutes.

 

” I’m happy for Greg, I’m happy for the team, I’m happy for BMC Switzerland, and I’m happy for Andy Rihs. It’s always important to take the Yellow Jersey, especially for the sponsors. Not many teams get the chance to wear the Yellow Jersey or win a stage, and to do both in the same day is really special. It’s a good day for BMC Racing Team.”

 

Richie Porte: The signs are good

The first day of climbing also saw Tejay van Garderen and Richie Porte jump up on the General Classification, now sitting in 12th and 27th place respectively.

 

Richie Porte said:

 

“I was comfortable. Tejay and I have shown that we can work together and Damiano Caruso worked well and put us in a really good position. I knew that those descents were going to be crucial. At the end of the day, it’s a great day for the team. It’s not nice to have lost time like that [flat tire on stage 2] but you know, you just keep fighting each day I suppose. The signs are good, I had good legs and it’s quite exciting.

 

“I felt really good, personally. It’s a great day for the team, firstly but it’s also nice to get into the climbs.

 

"It was Bardet who attacked on the final of that climb and I think that played a part in it. It was such a hot day but the main aim for us was to just stay safe. We both had a good day and Caruso was great as well. We’ve seen some good signs.

 

"There’s never an easy day in the Tour. It might look like it but it’s still stressful back there. Also those last 70 kilometres were full gas.”

 

Tejay van Garderen: Richie and I are just happy to sit back

“Movistar really opened it up with two climbs to go when it really got steep. I wasn’t expecting them to go that hard because the breakaway was gone and they didn’t have a stage victory in mind. It definitely softened up some legs for some of the guys,” Tejay van Garderen said.

 

 “It’s hard to take too much. I feel good but it’s only stage 5. Richie and I, we’re happy to sit back and see those teams go blow-for-blow. We’re going to try and be more conservative and use our bullets.

 

"Quintana is looking good. Froome is looking good. They put their teams on the front and made it hard. I was surprised to see Nibali dropped. That’s a big shock, given that he just won the Giro. Contador, I don’t know if he’s playing games. He didn’t look at his best, but he could still be recovering from the crash.

 

“Greg certainly looked like he had good form today. It was s super impressive ride. It’s great for the team and great for Greg. He’s had a difficult season and he really deserves it.

 

"I think tomorrow we’ll help control the breakaway. I don’t think we’ll have to do much work in the wind because the sprinters’ teams will probably want to control affairs and pull the breakaway back for us. So I think we’ll just enjoy the day in yellow, stay relaxed and get prepared for the Pyrenees.

 

Thomas De Gendt defies team orders to realize childhood dream

Thomas De Gendt finished second, his fantastic performance was rewarded with the prize of the most combative rider. De Gendt was very attentive during the day and he managed to win three KOM sprints. Therefore he’s the new leader in that classification so he will wear the polka dot jersey tomorrow. Naturally, he is very happy with his performance.

 

“It wasn’t clear yet whether I would join the break this morning because I thought it might be wiser to save some strengths for the final week,” he said. “But it was obvious from the beginning that a few strong riders were willing to be part of the break so I decided to join them.

 

“We got a lot of advantage from the peloton because no one was a threat to the GC riders. Van Avermaet was the best placed rider at twenty seconds but the GC riders don’t expect that he will play a role in the mountain stages.

 

”The cooperation in the front group was gone after a while so we decided to continue the break with three riders. We weren’t sure whether Grivko would be good or not. Greg and I decided that he could not be allowed win today’s stage because he didn’t do his part of the job. Eventually he was dropped on the fourth climb of the day.

 

”Van Avermaet accelerated on the penultimate climb and it was clear that he was stronger than me. I’m a bit disappointed of course but I realize that Greg was simply the best today. He really deserved this victory.

 

“It was clear that the KOM sprints would be today’s goal from the moment that I was part of the break. I was able to win three sprints and therefore I can wear the polka dot jersey tomorrow. Wearing that jersey is a big dream. I was never able to wear a jersey in a Grand Tour so I’m really happy. Obtaining the prize of the most combative rider and the polka dot jersey is a nice consolation prize.

 

“I’ll try to defend that jersey for at least one day, after that it will depend on how the Tour will evolve. Today’s stage will affect my condition as it was a very hard day. We rode more than 200 kilometres in the front of the race so I’ll need some time to recover. We’ll see if there are any other opportunities later in this Tour de France.

 

“I have no regret. I've just had bad luck because of being at the front with Greg van Avermaet who is one of the best riders in the world. My team told me not to sprint for the polka dot jersey but I still went for the points because only once in a lifetime it's nice to have the polka dot jersey. I want to keep it now and I'll try to add some more points to my account but I don't think it'll be possible till the end.

 

"This is really a childhood dream come true. For four years I have tried to wear a jersey and today it finally worked out. I have won the combativity prize several times but I have never had a jersey in a grand tour. Tomorrow will be very special. A stage win is a childhood dream, but Greg was just too strong today.

 

"I was hoping that Greg would stay with me a little longer, so it would be a little easier for me. But Greg would have won this stage anyway.

 

"He has not stolen this stage victory, because we pushed hard. It was a bit like a race from the old days. I'm happy with my second place because that with Greg that was the best possible result

 

“I was actually the first attacker, but I did not get away. Then I tried it again and got strong riders with me. But it was soon clear that Huzarski, Majka and Grivko wouldn’t cooperate.

 

"Also some Frenchmen began to skip turns. We had to do something. We got rid of Serge Pauwels. I warned him that we would attack, but he reacted too late."

 

”Second, fourth, second. Just is not just a good race for the time being," manager Marc Sergeant  told Het Nieuwsblad.

 

"In cycling, only the win counts. Thomas’ jersey is nice but I'd rather win.  Today was certainly a stage for Thomas. He attacked and was perfect 15 minutes behind on GC. I did not think someone like Van Avermaet would join him. Today he had a fantastic day and was unstoppable. It is nice for him that he picks up the victory and the yellow jersey.”

 

Alberto Contador: It went better than expected

The only team to have had a rider in the top five of every stage of the Tour de France so far, Tinkoff continued a strong start to the race as Rafal Majka took 3rd spot as the race hit the mountains for the first time in the race. With Majka in the top three on the stage, Alberto Contador fought bravely after a tough start to the Tour, finishing a little over thirty seconds after the Polish national road champion.

 

Eventually a group of nine managed to get away, and one of the nine was Rafal Majka. Having had a successful Giro d’Italia campaign, where he finished fifth in the GC, the newly-crowned Polish road champion had some good mountain kilometres in his legs and looked comfortable from the off.

 

From the finish, Sport Director, Sean Yates, explained how the breakaway unfolded.

 

“The break took a while to go and when it did we had a good situation with Rafa there, and not many of the big teams there. Naturally Rafa sat on the break as we’ve got the yellow jersey behind, but some of the guys up there weren’t happy and started to jump, and the group split and the gap grew.”

 

As the race entered its final 50km, the GC favourites decided to reduce the gap on the breakaways. Within 20km of chasing, the gap was down to less than ten minutes and was falling sharply, although Majka’s group was managing to hold the peloton at bay while also sitting only a few minutes back on the leaders. Yates saw that this would be tough, but while other GC riders started to lose time, Contador kept his head.

 

“Behind the bunch started chasing but then the gap suddenly grew to nine minutes again so the bunch panicked and put the hammer down. No one really attacked, it was just a hard tempo. Alberto only had Roman [Kreuziger] with him on the final climbs and a lot of names got dropped which shows how hard it was.”

 

With Peter Sagan losing position, it looked as though the UCI World Champion would lose the yellow jersey after holding it for three days. Yates, had wondered if the day would have panned out differently, enabling him to stay in the Maillot Jaune longer.

 

“We thought there would be an outside chance of keeping the jersey with Peter depending on how the stage panned out, if there was a break up the road that wasn't dangerous, but we knew the climbs were pretty tough so it wouldn’t be an easy stage. Also, we thought teams may put pressure on Alberto and this is what happened.”

 

With Majka riding hard to take third spot on what had been a brutal introduction to the mountains, a brave effort brought Contador to the line a little over thirty seconds behind.

 

While the Spanish team leader lost a little time on the stage, Contador was pleased with how he was recovering after a hard start to the Tour.

 

“I feel my condition improving day by day and it is better than I expected. I lost a few seconds today and I was aware Movistar would do a very hard race. I was mentally prepared for that.”

 

Up until the end of the stage, Contador was riding strong against riders who had suffered none of the misfortunes he had early in the race, as Yates explained from the finish.

 

“It was only when the attack came in the final 500m that Alberto lost ground. In my opinion when you consider how bad he was a few days ago it’s a good performance. It was a question of damage limitation today. Third on the stage is still a good result on a day, which doesn’t look good when you lose the yellow jersey and lose time with Alberto. Obviously it’s not good to lose time but it could have been a lot worse – there’s still a long way to go.”

 

Contador seconded his Sport Director’s comments.

 

“In the last part of the race the pace was so high we barely had a second to take a breath. We lost time and we have to take the race day by day and try to recover before the Pyrenees and the harder stages. I will give my best in the Alps and try to see what result we can achieve.

 

"It was better than I expected, I lost less time than I thought I would - I knew it was going to be a difficult stage, and I knew the other teams would make it tricky for me. The last part of the stage was really tough. I found it hard to breathe. I've lost some time, there's no doubt about it. But every day I can recover some of that. I have to wait and see what I can do and I'll give it my best.

 

"I'm feeling better than I was a few days ago. I felt pretty good towards the end of the stage. I've worked very hard over the last months to be here in the best condition I could. Obviously crashes in the opening stages is not ideal, but I feel like I'm bouncing back. I also feel I've done my best and that's all I can do.

 

“It was a very difficult day. I thought I had regained some forces but I paid the toll in the end. Of course, my two crashes of the first days hurt a lot. I knew it would be difficult. What matters is to recuperate quickly and not to lose morale. I didn't lose the morale, the crowds support me, it's incredible the support I'm getting. I'm going to do my best and see what I can do.

 

"I knew today would be a complicated stage for me. Movistar and Team Sky did the race, tested me at the end of the stage and I lost a bit of time. It’s becoming a different kind of Tour for me, where I have to go day by day and perhaps change my objectives. I have to see if I can recover for the Pyrenees and if I can’t then I’ll have to wait for my moment in the Alps.

 

"Things were a bit disorganised at the end, but I don’t have to give it too much thought. The important question is what’s happening with my left leg and that it’s not working, and that’s the real problem.

 

"The truth is I'm satisfied. I lost less time than I thought I would despite Movistar going all out on the climbs and that’s actually made me a bit more optimistic given the Tour has become really tough for me. One thing I’m sure about is that I’m here to put up a fight and do what I can. I’m not wounded mentally. The Tour de France is an incredible race and I’ll always give my best.

 

An experienced GC rider, Contador was strong mentally while he allowed his body to recover.

 

“The morale is good. I have been through tough situations many times in my life and one has to be strong. It's true that it's difficult when you have been preparing for so long, taking care of the smallest detail to be in the best form possible and then have two crashes in a row. If this stage had taken place five days from now it would have been different. However the race is what it is and we lost time.

 

Peter Sagan: I tried to go in the breakaway but they were scared of me

Peter Sagan may have lost yellow but he swaps it for green and was back on the podium today.

 

“I actually tried to go in the break early today but the group didn’t let me go – I think they were scared of me, but it's impossible to do everything. The climbs didn’t matter for me as the break was a long way ahead at the front. I thought it was better to take it easy. The Tour de France is still very long. We will see day by day, now I’ve got the green jersey I’ll keep trying for it.

 

“I'm not disappointed to lose the yellow jersey, c'est la vie. The yellow jersey is nice but one day it has to end. It's the race.

 

”Every year it's my goal to have green jersey. It's still long way to Paris. It was a very hard stage today. We tried to keep the breakaway not too far from us but they rode very strongly.”

 

Joaquim Rodriguez: Hopefully, I can continue like this

It was time for some real climbing in the 103rd Tour de France as the peloton of 198 made their way to the Massif Central to conquer seven rated climbs. With a solo rider well ahead of the general classification contenders, Team KATUSHA’s Joaquim ‘Purito’ Rodriguez gave chase with the others and sprinted in for fourth place on the day, an effort that moved him into fourth overall as well.

 

“Fourth in GC now, that makes me happy. Honestly, I felt good all day. Of course I suffered on the climbs as they were really steep sometimes but I cannot complain about how I did. Let’s hope we go on this way. The day was not easy. It was a hard and hot stage. The early break contained some real greyhounds and they got so many minutes. Sky tried to control it but they got no help from Movistar or Quick-Step, which we all expected, so the gap became bigger. Later Movistar chased, maybe more to cause some damage than for the stage win, but it was effective,” said Joaquim Rodriguez.

 

"It was very hard, a tricky day. It was hard to concentrate out there. At the beginning I felt Sky were controlling the race pretty well, but I'm not entirely sure how that developed. I have to say in the climbs I felt things were going very well. I feel pretty good and I hope that can continue."

 

Rodriguez led home the general classification group as the best of the bunch along with teammate Jurgen Van den Broeck at 5:16.

 

“The breakaway took a lot of minutes today so we had to chase hard. It was a tough stage. In the final we went really fast to make up time on the break, really some strange tactics of some teams. I was there at the end which was good, and I know I can still improve because the first days in the mountains are always the toughest for me. I’m happy for today and I think it looks good for the upcoming days,” said team rider Jurgen Van den Broeck.

 

Normally a tough rider in the spring classics, Van Avermaet now leads a grand tour for the first time, currently holding a massive 5:11 to second place Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-QuickStep), another two seconds to Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) with Rodriguez one second behind at 5:14 for fourth place on the overall.                              

 

“It was very strange to let the breakaway take fifteen minutes.  Everyone knew this was a hard stage, especially the last 40km with the long climbs and coming at the end of two previous very long days, everyone was tired. In the breakaway were some strong riders and Sky started riding, but then they waited for some other teams who also had GC riders for this Tour de France. The group only started riding fast when Movistar started riding and then Sky rode again. It’s important to remember this is a long race and we’ve only just finished stage 5. Our goal is for a top ten in the GC and today Joaquim was the first in the GC group and we think he’s in good shape,” said team director José Azevedo.

 

Julian Alaphilippe after missed opportunity: The team is built around Kittel, not me

The peloton came home minutes later, strung out following an attack of Romain Bardet (AG2R), which dispatched Alberto Contador (Tinkoff), and from that group Dan Martin sprinted to 5th place. Teammate Julian Alaphilippe rolled over the line in the same time and made sure of keeping the white jersey for the fourth day in a row, a remarkable performance for a rider who's just five stages into his maiden Grand Tour. In the general classification, Alaphilippe rests in second place, while Martin has climbed to 10th, a handful of seconds behind the young Frenchman.

 

"Today we knew that we will face many attacks from the start and that there was a good chance for a break to go all the way to the line. In the final 35 kilometers, Movistar made the pack's life difficult, trying to test the other riders, and it wasn't easy to keep the pace, but I handled this situation well and now I'm happy and very proud for keeping the white jersey. Tomorrow, a flat stage is on the cards and we will try to set up Marcel Kittel for the sprint", said Alaphilippe of the stage which will take place between Arpajon-sur-Cère and Montauban (190.5 kilometers).

 

"Many teams were waiting to take the race in hand. We could have chased but we have already worked yesterday and we surely will do so tomorrow for Marcel Kittel. The priority of the team is him. We can not do everything.

 

"It was already a big goal for me to be selected for my first Tour. I savor every moment.

 

"When Movistar started, I was on my limit. They rode at breakneck speed. I am happy not to have exploded.

 

"It would have been great to wear the yellow jersey. I'm not necessarily disappointed to not take the yellow jersey as many people told me I would because the breakaway was very strong. Since I was second on GC, some teams thought it was up to us to control but our team is centered around Marcel Kittel to win bunch sprints like yesterday. That will be our task again tomorrow. I'm just happy with keeping the white jersey. I struggled to stay in the main group but I didn't give up. It was hard. One more day in the white jersey makes me happy.”

 

Daniel Martin gains confidence from first hilly stage

Also Daniel Martin was relieved to have passed this mountain test in the Massif Central, which brought the peloton one day closer to the first summit finish of this edition, after four days spent in the fields of Normandie and Bretagne:

 

"The first mountain stage is a little bit of a shock to everybody, and today it was even more difficult because of the scorching heat, which made the road melt in some places. To be sincere, it felt like you were riding through glue all day long. It was a difficult start to the Tour and nobody had the legs to attack, because people are already tired after just a couple of days and 18 hours in the saddle. The team rode well together and I am confident for the mountain stages which will come later this week."

 

Difficult day for Bora-Argon 18 leaders, Huzarski shines in the mountains

For BORA - ARGON 18 the change of terrain does not change the tactics. Again the goal was to get a least one rider into the break of the day.

 

After a very fast start with many attacks, Bartosz Huzarski managed to get away together with 8 other riders after the first KOM of the day. At this stage of the race, Sam Bennett struggled to follow the high pace of the peloton. But when the group went clear, the peloton slowed down and he was able to come back. In the end of the day he finished safely in one of the last groups together with Shane Archbold.

 

Huzarski presented the colours of BORA – ARGON 18 the whole day very well and delivered a very strong performance. When the leaders split up on the the penultimate climb, he dropped some of his companions and chased the last podium spot together with Majka. Even though he gave it everything, he was caught just 20 meters before the finish by the group of favourites. In the end he crossed the line in 6th place which is a great result for him and the team after a very hard day in France.

 

The young German climber Emanuel Buchmann fought very well on the first day in the mountains and lost only 3 minutes of the group of Froome, Valverde and Quintana. After he lost contact on the third last climb, he almost came back on the descent before he went at his on pace over the last two climbs of the day.

 

“Today I didn´t have the best legs, so I lost contact with the group of favourites on the third last climb. I felt good, but I missed the last speed to follow the big names. But I haven´t lost a lot of time, so it’s ok and I already look forward to the high mountains,” said Emanuel Buchmann.

 

“Today the big battle for positions failed to appear because the sprinters were thankfully a little bit tired. In the beginning I felt the last 2 very long days, but in the finale my legs came better. I found a perfect group and so I didn’t go to the limit on the last two climbs. Now I will look day by day and then we will see what is possible,” said Patrick Konrad.

 

No change for Adam Yates: The goal is still a stage win

British climber Adam Yates rode well on today’s stage five of the Tour de France as the race hit the hills of the Massif Central, giving Orica-BikeExchange their third top ten of the 2016 Tour.

 

23-year old Yates was part of a selection of favourites that formed on the penultimate climb. The 2015 Classica Ciclista San Sebastian winner looked comfortable as the speed increased and the race favourites started to have a good look at one another on the first real ascents of this years Tour.

 

The group finished together with Yates in eighth place on the stage and now 13th overall with the objective for Orica-BikeExchange still very much a stage win.

 

Sport director Matt White praised the performance of Yates and the team on a tough day in the hills.

 

“We thought it was going to be a very aggressive day,” said White.

 

“It was a medium mountains stage and Movistar did what we thought Team-Sky were going to do and put the pressure on over the final climbs.

 

“Quite a few teams were in difficulty towards the end and it is a really nice start from Adam (Yates) on our first entry into the mountains.

 

“On the whole I am pleased with how the team rode today. There is a long way to go in the race and we are still on the hunt for stage wins, that’s our primary objective and when we see an opportunity we will go for it.”

 

Chris Froome: I had expected Nibali to be better

Chris Froome and Team Sky were more than equal to the task as the Tour de France hit the mountains for the first time on stage five.

 

The Brit enjoyed strong support on an undulating run into Le Lioran, eventually finishing the 216-kilometre test amongst an elite group of favourites, enough to retain fifth overall.

 

Team Sky were a constant presence at the head of the peloton during the day, setting an initial tempo before turning the screw late on as the race exploded.

 

A select group formed, with Mikel Nieve, Sergio Henao and Geraint Thomas riding in support of Froome after Movistar had dropped the hammer on the second category Pas de Peyrol.

 

Henao dug deep to shut down a dangerous move including Roman Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde (both Movistar), and under the flamme rouge the group came back together to allow Froome to come home ninth.

 

Team Sky's leader now sits 5:17 behind leader van Avermaet, but suffered no significant time loss to his chief rivals as the race begins to heat up.

 

Sergio Henao finished on the same time as his team-mate to elevate himself to 16th overall.

 

Froome was happy to stay out of trouble.

 

"For us it was about staying up front and not losing any time on those GC guys," Froome explained after the stage. "Those descents were pretty tricky and dangerous and it was about not really losing any time to other GC guys.

 

”Obviously we knew the breakaway was going to stay away today and the jersey's gone to Van Avermaet - he did a pretty impressive ride there!

 

“From our side we're happy with that. We're happy to stay out of trouble and it's one more day down. It wasn't really in our interest today [to send guys down the road]. We wanted to stay out of trouble.

 

“The big GC days are still to come. Today was one of those days where, yes it was selective, but it wasn't necessarily going to be a big showdown between the contenders themselves.

 

"From our side we’re happy with that, happy to stay out of trouble and it’s one more day down now.

 

"Surprised by Vincenzo, yeah, I would have expected him to be coming here with his A-game to be honest. With Alberto that’s quite normal after a big crash or the couple of big crashes that he’s had. No one wants to see that, ourselves included. I’d rather gain time in the mountains from him not because he’s hurt and injured and suffering."

 

Luke Rowe arrived at the front to set the pace on behalf of the team after an hour of racing. Ian Stannard also took it up as Team Sky set the tempo, without feeling the need to bring back the men up the road.

 

The break continued to combine well out front and the gap spun out to 15 minutes, but as Movistar and Vasil Kiryienka moved forward, the speed increased and the team made sure Froome was positioned well over a narrow and technical run-in.

 

"We knew it was going to be a difficult day,” Team Principal Dave Brailsford told Eurosport. “This area has hard roads, heavy roads, it's up and down all day. Even a standard day would be hard, but a day like today was always going to be a bit grippy. Added into the mix is the early break, who's going to be in there, who is going to take responsibility for the riding. The guys just kept it in check. Movistar took it up and rode hard up that climb. But the guys were good and in control, and there was no problem.

 

"Who knows [the Movistar] tactic for today, you have to be ready for it, different teams taking it up. They put one rider up there early on - but each team to their own, you have to be proactive. Our job was to get through in good shape without losing any time, and we did.

 

"The first day's transition from the flat to the hills always has a few surprises. Some people find their rhythm, others are a bit blocked. When we selected the team, we have quite an array of climbers, the probability one or two will be not quite on a good day, and one or two are, and you can rotate them. Geraint and Mikel and Sergio were there. Geraint has quite a substantial injury to his ribs, and for him to be up there to perform we didn't expect that. Either he's a super tough guy or he wants to get back early for the Welsh match."

 

Geraint Thomas told Eurosport:

 

"For us, with all due respect to the guys in the break, we were confident we could give them 10 minutes and Froomey could get that back over the course of the race. So for us it wasn’t that dangerous of a break; we could just hold it at 6 minutes and then obviously they started attacking in the front so the gap really went out then.

 

"There was a good 12 teams that weren’t in the break who weren’t riding, so the gap went out to 15 minutes. For us, like I say, we weren’t too bothered about that. Obviously when Movistar started riding it came down pretty quickly. That was really tough. But, yeah, for us it’s all about winning the GC and the stage today, we weren’t going to bury ourselves just to try and go for a stage win."

 

Pierre Rolland: The sensations are good

”I really had the chance to be accompanied by a great team, my teammates put me in good position,” Pierre Rolland told Cyclingpro.net after arriving with the favourites. “It was hot and it was hard to get onto the small chainring. I did not lose time and I saved much energy in these first steps. I now look forward to the Pyrenees and the stages with the Tourmalet and Arcalis. "

 

"The start was strange because nobody wanted to ride and then Movistar began to set a good pace. I think their main idea was to distance Contador, not to let him recover after the crash because it's better that he is distanced.

 

”I was fine. On the climbs, I focused on one or two riders and I followed the Sky and Movistar teams. The sensations are good but we are not yet in the great mountains of the Pyrenees. "

 

Cyril Gautier: They were simply stronger than me

Ag2r had Cyril Gautier in the breakaway.

 

"I found someone who was stronger than me today,” he said.  “I knew I was in the right breakaway but I did not know if it would make it to the finish.  It is too bad that the group split into two, and I did not get into the right part. 
 

”I have no skipped any turns. Then a first rider stopped working, then a second. I stop for a natural break and then they attacked.
 

”They were strong. I was not bluffing. I had nothing left. The Tour is not over but it will take time to recover. Today I used a lot of strength. My crash was not too serious. Serge Pauwels took a turn too quickly and I followed his path. We crashed on the descent.

 

"Some did not want to ride. I did my job but the Bora rider was not working. Then they attacked during my natural break. It’s unfortunate but it's like that. Greg Van Avermaet was really strong in this difficult stage. "

 

Romain Bardet: I tried not to get carried away by the emotions.

“I really got chills today,” Romain Bardet said. “I was hugely encouraged and it was a bit like a dream on the Pas de Peyrol and the Perthus. For once I was not carried away by my emotions. I handled it wisely with the team, hoping to win the stage. There was a selection on Pas de Peyrol which we did very fast. We were soon down to twenty riders. 

 

”I had ambitions but today, with a group of three very strong riders in front, the victory was gone. The Tour is still long. 

 

“This is the first major effort. The legs responded well when the race accelerated. Everyone was on the limit on the climbs. Not much changed and there are still many difficult stages. 

 

“I accelerated in the last kilometers. I knew the roads and tried to get some advantage. It's three stages that we have done more than 215 kilometers. It is felt in the legs. The heat and summer has arrived. It starts to feel like a real Tour de France.

 

"It's not bad to test the favourites. I know the roads well so I tried. It was worth trying. In a race like the Tour de France it's no option to chase hard for 200 kilometres if there's more than two weeks of racing left. This wasn't a major mountain stage. It was a choice of the teams to let them go, unfortunately enough for us. It's a bike race and there's a lot of actors. I would have loved to have fought for the stage victory but that wasn't possible. We had to be cautious and we didn't come back."

 

"There were a huge number of fans along the course, I saw my name painted on the roads and people supporting me. I had goose bumps. I tried not to be carried away by the emotions. If you're racing for the general classification in the Tour de France one can't spend the energy that I hope to be saving for the Pyrenees and the Alps."

Sports director Stéphane Goubert added:

"The balance of the day is pretty good. Cyril was in the the break with very good riders. He was surprised by the attack of Van Avermaet. The three leading riders were really strong today. He fell but it was not serious.  We were frustrated after the efforts he had made. He deserved a place of honor. 
 

”Romain tried what he could in the final. Unfortunately his opponents did not allow it. The breakaway with Cyril was good for everyone. "

 

FDJ: Pinot was not great but he was there

Not very comfortable in this first difficult stage in the heat, Thibaut Pinot and Sébastien Reichenbach arrived with the best.

 

"A breakaway of nine riders took off before Van Avermaet, De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) and Grivko (Astana) isolated themselves in the lead,” says sports director Yvon Madiot. “These three had 15 minutes of advantage with 70 kilometers to go but I can assure you that no one could bring them back. Not even Movistar who tried ​​it in the final. Even Team Sky were limited and had also lost riders in the end. Froome had asked Stannard to work. I think to calm down the spirits.

 

Thibaut Pinot did not seem to be great but by reacting to a final attack from Romain Bardet (AG2R-La Mondiale) and staying in contact with the top twenty in the company of Sébastien Reichenbach, he did well.

 

"The change to the race has been obvious to anyone,” says Madiot. “The guys just spent four days on the flats and today they were climbing. I think the day helped us to unblock. Thibaut was not very good but it was there.

 

Nairo Quintana: The climbs were unusual for the Tour de France

Movistar Team shifted their own expectations with a great display in the first mountain day leading up to the SueñoAmarillo. The 216km stage five of the Tour de France - a route between Limousin and Auvergne, across the scorching Massif Central, from Limoges to the Le Lioran ski resort - were a proof that the Eusebio Unzué-led squad has much to bring forward in the three weeks of the 'Grande Boucle'.

 

Entirely focused on the fight for overall success, the stage win and the provisional yellow jersey went to Belgian Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), the Blues took command in the flat prior to the Col de Néronne (Cat-3), with Imanol Erviti reducing the 15-minute gap amassed by the day's early breakaway, before Nelson Oliveira and Winner Anacona set a furious pace at the front as the first real climb of the day loomed. They saw their effort continued by Jesús Herrada and Ion Izagirre, the latter keeping the pace high in the first slopes of the Puy Mary (Cat-2). Finally, Dani Moreno picked up the rhythm in a very selected group, containing just thirty riders.

 

As the Spaniard kept pulling into the Col du Perthus (Cat-2) and several big names left behind - Nibali (AST), Landa (SKY), Costa (LAM), Zakarin (KAT) and Navarro (COF) were just five of them - an attack by Romain Bardet (ALM) on the Font de Cère (Cat-3) found only immediate reaction from Alejandro Valverde, Nairo Quintana and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), with Contador (TNK) getting dropped and losing 35" across the line. The bunch, briefly pulled by a great Valverde for Quintana, came together to the finish, which keeps the Murcia-born rider in 3rd overall while Quintana sits in 7th. Sprinters will be back on Thursday with stage six covering 190km from Arpajon-sur-Cère to Montauban.

 

Nairo Quintana said:

 

"It was a difficult day – the mountains have been quite different to what's normal in a Tour de France, with little, steep, grueling climbs. They were more similar to the other GTs. The team worked really well; we always kept a pace that was within my needs and both Dani, Alejandro and I were inthe front group, which was more than enough and the only thing that really matter today after all."

 

Alejandro Valverde: We wanted to test our rivals

Alejandro Valverde said:

 

"Our team-mates were phenomenal; we all worked well. You must do something if you want to gain something; you've got to make such efforts to win time, and things got pretty demanding for a first mountain stage in a GT today. We weren't really worried about Contador or any other specific rival; we all struggled at some point of the race, which was our intention - we wanted to make the race fast to check on our own feelings and the rivals'. We saw pretty much everyone doing well, which is normal when you're on the fifth day of racing, but I'm sure this will pay off in the remainder of the race. We're satisfied with today's performance."

 

"Sky started to move things a bit to pull back the break, and then as we’re second in the hierarchy of favourites, we felt we had to come in and help them,” explained sports director Jose Luis Arrieta to Cyclingnews. “It was the first big mountain stage and the first really hot day we’ve had, and you never know on days like this what will happen. The Massif Centrale has produced some surprises in the past in this race.”

 

Wilco Kelderman encouraged after first mountain stage at the Tour

Wilco Kelderman was able to follow the top favourites for the general classification during the tough fifth stage of the Tour de France today to Le Lioran. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s climber finished 16th and moved up 11th in the general classification. Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing Team) soloed to the stage win and grabbed the yellow jersey.

 

The hilly fifth stage of the Tour de France had a relatively easy first part, but when the peloton reached the final kilometres of the race, teams pushed a high pace.

 

“I was expecting the top teams to tighten up the race,” Kelderman said. “It didn’t put me into trouble anyway. It was quite steep sometimes, but I was able to find a nice rhythm.”

 

Kelderman moved to 11th overall after staying with the best climbers.

 

“I’m glad with that,” he continued. “I’m in a good position and it is going well. I want to keep this level.

 

“It’s nice that we raced the first hills of the Tour and the first differences are made. We know a little bit more about ourselves and our rivals, and that gives me a good feeling.”

 

"It was very hot. It was not fast in the beginning but when Movistar started, it was a brutal pace. I was not very good but when I came into my rhythm, it was good.

 

“When I saw that I was good on the steep sections I got confidence because I saw that others were in difficulty. It is not strange that Contador just have to let us go. If you’ve crashed, you'll miss a bit of explosiveness.

 

“There was no room to attack. That made little sense because Van Avermaet was ahead. I will go to the Pyrenees with a good feeling. If the opportunity is there to do something, I'll definitely attack."

 

 

"I had been expecting this from Sky and Movistar. I was not really in trouble and was great. I was happy with it. In the end I was almost cramping, but fortunately I got a bottle fifteen kilometers from the finish.

 

“Wilco felt good today,” Sports Director Merijn Zeeman added. “He just has to follow these days. We’ll know how good he is after the Pyrenees. He’s still aiming for a stage win, but it was never our plan to lose time in the first days of this Tour on purpose. There are many stages to come in which he can make the difference and this week so far is a confirmation that he’s feeling fine.”

 

Wednesday’s stage was decided from the early breakaway, and some of LottoNL-Jumbo’s men wanted to be part of it.

 

“We tried it with Bert-Jan Lindeman and George Bennett, but we failed, unfortunately,” Zeeman explained. “We’re fed up about that, but we can build on what we showed today. Wilco showed a high level and Dylan Groenewegen was in the gruppetto without any problems.”

 

Bauke Mollema: My legs were good enough

Stage five was the third straight stage of over 200 kilometers, and with six classified climbs, most jammed into the final 45 kilometers of the lengthy parcours, it was a day touted for a breakaway to ride to the end.

 

"About half the peloton wanted to be in a breakaway today, it was pretty crazy," said Stetina, who just missed joining the escape group. "The move started to go, and the alarms bells went off so Markel (Irizar) drilled it into a downhill and I sprinted with everything I had, but I just couldn't quite close the gap on some of the punchy hills to the guys in the front. I missed it by about 10 meters.

 

"For over a kilometer I tried, I was solo, and I thought I was going to get it, I thought it was perfect, and I could almost feel the slipstream. Then the lights went out. And that was it; the move was gone. The timing was just five seconds too late, but that's how it is. Then I just tried to stay with Bauke (Mollema) and shield him on the first two big climbs, and then I was done, I had done a lot of work all day.  It stings a lot (to not be there), but there are bigger mountains coming that I am happier about."

 

It was also a first prickly test for the overall contenders, and Bauke Mollema arrived safely with the elite group of climbers to not lose any time to his rivals. Mollema now sits in 15th overall in the same time as Sky's Chris Froome, who holds fifth place (+5'17").

 

"It was a hard final," agreed Mollema. "It went well for me, and I was there where I should be. We knew it was going to be hard, and the guys brought me to the front at the end when the steep climbs started.  Pete was there, and before that Markel and Gregy (Rast) did a lot to help me."

 

When the day's breakaway – nine riders that were eventually pared to three -  was granted a hefty 15-minute lead, it turned into a day of two races: one for the stage win between the leaders, and the other amongst the overall contenders who careful marked each other in the peloton.

 

While Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) proved to be the strongest of the escapees, soloing to the win and into the yellow jersey, behind Team Movistar and Team Sky set punishing paces over the final uphills to whittle the peloton to a skeleton group of climbers. The attrition was biggest over the category-two climb 31 kilometers from the finish when Movistar took the reins at the front of the peloton, but Mollema was ready for the onslaught.

 

"You always have to be ready, and when Movistar put the hammer down I was there in the right moment and in the right spot and the legs were good enough," continued Mollema. "It was a good pace on the first of the three last climbs and after that, yeah, it was not easy, but more relaxed with only 30-40 guys left. But you had to be careful; there were a lot of tricky descents because the tarmac was melting. Overall, it was a good day."

 

When attacks flew and the pace increased from the decimated peloton in the final uphill a few kilometers from the line, Mollema successfully weathered the assualt again and crossed with an 18-rider group for 17th place on the stage.

 

"This is tough, but we are well warmed up for the Pyrenees.”

 

Fabio Aru: I did not expect such a great selection

“It was a good stage, it was quite selective and I had good sensations in the climbs” commented Fabio Aru after the finish. “We did a very high rythm in the final part of the stage, as expected. I was pretty confident with the GC contenders but I prefer to keep my feet on the ground and try to recover well for tomorrow’s stage.

 

"They did a really high pace. We were not expecting such a fast race and that there was so much selection. Now we will recover for the next stages. It was quite hot but that's okay. "

 

Vincenzo Nibali: I always said that I was here to help Aru

The winner of the Giro d’Italia, Vincenzo Nibali, suffered from the high rythm on the Pas de Peyrol and finished the stage behind the GC contenders but confident that his condition can grow during the Tour and that he can be of help for the Team and the captain,

 

“I haven’t had my best day today, honestly I didn't know how my legs could react to the high rythm on the climbs,” commented Nibali. “Probably I also suffered a little bit for the first hot temperatures in this Tour, but I’m relaxed because, as we have said in the last 2 weeks, we are here to help Fabio Aru to get the best result possible and I’m sure my condition will grow in the next days and I will be ready to stay close to Fabio soon…

 

"I wanted to stay up front with Fabio but I was on a bad day and didn't have the legs, so let them go and went in a gruppetto. I'm tranquillo, I'm fine and I've no regrets.

 

"I've already ridden and won the Giro d'Italia and that cost me a lot of energy. After the Giro I took ten days off and so despite training in the Dolomites, I just didn't know how I'd ride. It's never easy to understand how you'll react on a day like today.

 

"We've always said that Fabio is focusing on the general classification and so were here to help him. Today I could have perhaps helped him by being with him but it just wasn't a good day for me. It's never easy on the first mountain stage and when it's hot like today. But we know that Fabio is riding well and we're confident we can have a good Tour.

 

"Nothing happened. I'm alright. It's normal. I knew I was coming on this Tour de France to work for my team and for Fabio Aru. The legs didn’t work well so I gave up. We said it from the start, Fabio is the one who matters. The goal is to help Fabio and to build a good form for the Olympics. I

 

“I feel really free. I believe that in the coming weeks, the whole team will be at the top. Today, it didn't go so well. But Fabio is in great shape and we'll try to have a good race.

 

"I've got a very important goal ahead of me in about a months time and I've got to be at my best then. I know I've got tine to peak again and will try to find my form day by day during the Tour de France.”

 

Andriy Grivko: My legs were empty

In the break with Van Avermaet, Andrei Grivko represented

 

“I entered the escape even if it wasn’t easy at all,” explained the Ukranian. “Then, together with De Gendt and Van Avermaet, we attacked from the escape because there were too many riders who weren’t working. Probably we pushed too much and in the final my legs were empty. Anyway I think I’ve done a good job for the team, saving my team mates from the work to catch the escape.”

 

Warren Barguil: The sensations were not too bad

It was a strong ride by Warren Barguil to finish with the main contenders in 20th place, 5’07” behind the winner. He is now 6th in the overall classification.

 

After the stage Warren Barguil said: “Three weeks of racing is a long time, last year I lost some time in the general classification during the last three days. This year I am hoping to approach the Tour with a different frame of mind and to be in better shape and I hope this will make a difference. Last year, during the first stages, I didn’t have a great feeling for the race, but this year I feel okay. I am keen to be cycling in the Pyrenees.

 

“Team Movistar set a big pace at the front, to avoid stress in the descents. It was a good race, but exhausting cycling all day. There were never any flat sections and sometimes these stages are harder than those in the big mountains.”

 

"It was a little test to see where I was. The asphalt melted. The heat was there. The percentages were there. So it was not easy. I came out of the Tour of Switzerland where I had rain almost every day. I come here when it's 30 degrees or more with the heat of the asphalt. The sensations were not too bad but we will see in a real mountain stage. There, it will be different. "

 

Georg Preidler said: “Unfortunately we missed the break today, Simon [Geschke] and I thought we had good chance to be in the breakaway with also the idea of supporting Warren in the finale. It didn’t work out so we just focused on Warren, and to protect him all day and bring him into good positions for the climbs. I think it worked out pretty well and when the big teams increased the pace the whole group exploded and Warren was in a good position in the GC group.”

 

Tom Dumoulin: This was not as good as I had hoped

“I didn’t feel great so I didn’t use too much energy and I accepted the time loss,” explained Tom Dumoulin. “It was expected since the week before the Tour wasn’t perfect. With the current general classification, it allows me to have some freedom to try and go for my chance in a possible breakaway later in the Tour, where I want to target a stage success.

 

"It was a bit disappointing. I was not as good as I had hoped. Then I thought: 'Now it makes no sense to hang on so I will lose time’. I didn’t want to but the legs were not ther.

 

"I had already said that the GC was an unlikely scenario. I wanted to give it a chance, but then everything should go well and that was not so today. Then it is better not to force anything. Now I am well behind and in the coming days will have a chance to attack in the Pyrenees.

 

"I want to win if I'm in an escape. I'm not going to ride just to be seen.

 

“When the breakaway got away, I realized immediately that there was no yellow jersey for me in this Tour de France. That sucks. Then I just took it easy and kept a little dream about a stage win later in the Pyrenees.

 

“I think there are many opportunities for attackers. The big boys will be looking at each other and the team of Van Avermaet is really not able to chase everyone. I would like to try.”

 

Coach Aike Visbbek added: “Today the main objective was to keep Warren in a good position for the GC and that worked. Next to that, Tom didn’t have a great feeling and lost time which is unfortunate. Overall the teamwork was good, they worked really well together. Tomorrow is another sprinting day, and after the real GC stages start and we focus on Warren completely.”

 

Louis Meintjes takes over from Rui Costa at the Tour de France

Behind the breakaway, Louis Meintjes had a key moment when he was involved (no physical consequences) in a crash in the early kilometers of the Pas de Peyrol, being hit by a rider who was following him when the South African climber used the brakes to stop his bike because a crash had occurred in front of him.

 

Meintjes succeeded in coming back quickly. Many riders were dropped or decided to keep a steady pace (Rui Costa was one of them) but Meintjes had no problem in riding with all the other top climbers (he received good support from Grmay), also on the following climbs of Col du Perthus and Col de Font de Cère. The South African athlete was 23rd in the same time as the GC contenders.

 

In the overall classification, Lampre-Merida’s climber entered the top 20. He is 19th at 5.28.

 

“I’m satisfied with my performance, I had good feelings which allowed me to be with the top climbers,”  Meintjes said. “Of course I was involved in a crash: some riders fell in front of me, I stopped my bike, but someone behind me hit me. Fortunately I only hit my right wrist but I feel there’s nothing serious and it did not prevent me from delivering a good performance in this stage.”

 

Rui Costa: Maybe it was the heat

”From the beginning I said that the main goal for this Tour was to win a stage. I never told you that I was going to lose time on purpose to get it and I did not,” Rui Costa wrote in his diary.

“It turns out that today I had a bad day, maybe because of the heat. I do not like cold or rain, but the truth is that my body responds much better to rain and low temperatures. I think that the legs did not respond because of the heat. I felt trapped. 
 

”Today I was not on a good day. There are days like this and today was one of them. 

”I'm not happy but I will not be discouraged. I know that with lost time, I have more possibilities to get in a break and fight for a stage, which is the main objective of the team.

 

“I said at the start that today was a good test for the legs and chance to know more about the opponent.  I noticed that in addition to me, there were many important riders who had a less good day. Today was bad for us, but tomorrow will be better.”

 

Serge Pauwels: I thought about the yellow jersey but now I have nothing

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka knew the importance of being in the break today and so Daniel Teklehaimanot and Serge Pauwels were both very attentive at the stage start. Pauwels eventually made the move of the day with 8 other riders. The peloton let the group go to a 6 minute advantage, before some in-fighting began among the leaders. Van Avermaet, De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) and Andrey Grivko (Astana) attacked and Pauwels tried to cross over to the trio alone. Pauwels got to within 12 seconds but couldn't close the gap.

 

Pauwels was hoping to hold off the chasing group of GC favourites and claim a top 10 stage result, but a crash on the penultimate descent of the stage saw the Belgian being caught with 3km to go and eventually finished in 26th position. A brave effort by the African Team rider who will no doubt be looking for more breakaway's later in the race. All of the other African Team riders completed the 216km stage with no real issues.

 

 “Today I made the main break of the day. It was a difficult day, the heat made it really quite tough and I was suffering from it for a large part of the day and didn't really feel all that good. I tried my best today but in the end, the GC guys caught me,” Pauwels said.

 

"To be in the break was great. I attacked once and it was immediately a good group. There were some who didn’t work: Majka and Grivko and the group split. I wanted to make the jump to the front trio, but I failed. First it was ten meters, then 15, I could not close the gap. That's a pity.

 

"We have chased them for a long time but again, with Huzarski and Vachon two guys were not working after a while. That makes it difficult The best riders were gone. It was annoying but then I have to admit that I was not at my best today. The first heat might play tricks with me. I never felt like I was riding at full strength. Especially in the final I was not good enough anymore.

 

“I am disappointed because at one point it looked very good, when we had a 15-minute lead over the peloton, for the GC or yellow which was already in my head. I am now empty-handed and that's a pity.

 

”In the previous days I always felt good, that is not the problem. The fact that I was in the break today is a good sign. I just think it was the stroke of the first heat, nothing more.

 

“Tomorrow is a flat stage. I could use some recovery, there are still opportunities in this Tour.”

 

Romain Sicard: I cracked

Direct Energie had Romain Sicard in the break

 

"The breakaway left early but it was hard to be there. There were many strong riders. There was uncertainty this morning. I was not sure that the breakaway could stay away. When I saw the riders we were with, I knew it was good,” he told Cyclingpro.ney

 

"There were problems. The riders did not cooperate. (Rafal) Majka and (Andrei) Grivko did not work in the first 100 km. After a while the Bora rider did the same. It upset everyone. At one point, we almost stopped. Then De Gendt attacked.

 

"The front trio showed that they were the strongest. It was a very demanding day anyway and they went away  a little more than 100 kilometers from the finish.

 

"I tried and the legs made the difference. At one point I believed in it but I cracked. I am disappointed tonight.”

 

Eduardo Sepulveda to reassess Tour de France goals on first rest day

Fortuneo-Vital Concept had Florian Vachon in the break. He was caught with 10km to go.

"You have to play your cards, and today my cahnce was to be in the break! I could not finish it off, but I hope that this will do me good for the rest of the Tour. I also wanted to make show myself close to my home. I received a lot of encouragement on the roadside. "

 

GC leader Eduardo Sepulveda said:

 

"The day was difficult. I lacked strength 25 kilometers from the finish. Because of my crashin February, I have not had the best possible preparation for the Tour de France and the series of three stages over 200km made my tired. But I will progress throughout the race. Until the first rest day the goal is a Top 20 overall. Then I'll talk to my team managers aboutthe strategy for the second and third week. The team has really been in place since the start of the Tour. Dan McLay delivers good performances in sprints, we are offensive and my teammates protect me. We have good cohesion. We do well and we will continue. "