“The little cannibal” has never worn his nickname so well. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) did not win the fifth stage of the Tour de France, Wednesday July 6, but hit hard in the quest for a third consecutive yellow jersey. The victory went to a strong man, who left in a breakaway at the start of the day. The 35-year-old Australian veteran, Simon Clarke (Israel-Premier Tech), was indeed stronger than Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty Gobert) in an exhausted sprint.
After this construction stage where the Jumbo-Visma experienced a nightmarish day with the falls of its three leaders, Primoz Roglic, Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert, the latter finally kept his yellow jersey for 13 seconds. “The team gave everything, it was not a good day for us”summarized the leader of the Tour at the microphone of France Télévisions after the stage.
Good news in the French clan with the fine performance of David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), who remained in the group of favorites until the end. Romain Bardet (Team DSM), a time behind with the Ineos Grenadiers of Geraint Thomas, finally finished in the right peloton, as did Thibaut Pinot and Warren Barguil (Arkéa Samsic).
After their demonstration on the fourth stage, and the victory of Wout van Aert in the yellow jersey, the Dutch formation Jumbo-Visma experienced a hell of a return to reality. Even before the start of the cobbled sections, after just over 40 kilometers, the leader of the general classification was thrown to the ground after a roundabout. He had to impose a ten kilometer chase where he almost fell again but finally returned. Wout van Aert had to catch up more than a minute behind with Steven Kruijswijk.
Later, 37 kilometers from the finish, panic on board for the Jumbo-Visma. One of their two leaders, Jonas Vingegaard, suffered a mechanical problem. The Dane stopped and Nathan Van Hooydonck gave him his bike. The Belgian being much taller, Vingegaard couldn’t do much. He dismounted again a few meters further, where Steven Kruisjwijk then handed over his machine to him. New problem, it was impossible for its leader to pedal with this bicycle not in its size. A few seconds later, the Jumbo-Visma car stopped alongside him and he was finally able to take his second bike, in his size. Vingegaard had, at that point, lost more than a minute on the peloton.
As if that hadn’t been enough, 30 kilometers from the finish when he was the only headliner of the team to make it out, Primoz Roglic tasted the bitumen of the North. After a roundabout, a Groupama-FDJ rider touched a bale of signal straw and brought it back to the center of the road. The Slovenian couldn’t avoid it and crashed. After a few seconds on the ground, the unlucky guy got up and left with a big two-minute break that he never managed to fill.
After these three major race facts, no more member of the Jumbo-Visma was in the peloton, Christophe Laporte having got up to help his leaders. In the end, Roglic, designated leader of the team, conceded two minutes and his final victory in the Tour de France is strongly called into question. The second initial leader, Vingegaard, took advantage of the immense work of Van Aert and Laporte in the last 25 kilometers to concede only 13 seconds on an agitator named Pogacar, who largely marked the spirits of his rivals and observers. Nothing is over for the Dane.