Isle of Man’s Mark Cavendish, who rides for HTC-Columbia, won stage five of the Tour de France, a 116-mile (187.49-kilometer) trek from Épernay to Montargis, France. Known for his sprinting, he finished the undulating but essentially downhill course in extremely hot conditions in 4:30:50, maintaining an average pace of 25.7 mph (41.4kph), the slowest stage since the prologue on July 3. Considered one of the favorites for the Tour de France in 2010, Cavendish won four stages in 2008 and six in 2009. This year, he has finished 127th in the prologue, 178th in stage 1, 148th in stage 2, 25th in stage 3, 12th in stage 4, and 1st in stage 5. His win today, perhaps turned a corner in a year in which his racing fortune has not been very good, as elective dental surgery sidelined him in February, making obscene gestures after the second stage in the Tour of Romandie in April, which suspended from the team, and crashing during the first stage of this year’s Tour de France. Cavendish, who broke down in tears on the podium, remarked to Reuters that his win that is a “real relief, it gives me such a sense of achievement. The guys did such an incredible job. They did a great job yesterday but I let them down. I’m so happy I was able to finish the job today.” Gerald Ciolek, of Germany, who rides for Milram, finished second, followed by Edvald Boasson Hagen, of Norway and Team Sky. The first 157 cyclists received the same finish time of 4:30:50. Fabian Cancellara, of Italy and Saxo Bank, remains the leader, ahead of Geraint Thomas, of Wales and Team Sky, by 23 seconds. Lance Armstrong, of the United States and RadioShack, who finished 30th in today’s stage, remains 18th overall, 2:30 behind the leader. The defending champion, Alberto Contador, of Spain and Astana, finished 19th, and remain in 9th place, 1:40 behind the Cancellara.
Following are Top 10 after Stage 5:
1. Mark Cavendish (England/HTC-Columbia) 4:30:50
2. Gerald Ciolek (Germany/Milram) 4:30:50
3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway/Team Sky) 4:30:50
4. José Joaquin Rojas (Spain/Caisse d’Epargne) 4:30:50
5. Thor Hushovd (Norway/Cervello) 4:30:50
6. Sébastien Turgot (France/BBox-Bouygues) 4:30:50
7. Robbie McEwen (Australia/Katyusha) 4:30:50
8. Allesandro Petacchi (Italy/Lampre) 4:30:50
9. Lloyd Mondory (France/AG2R) 4:30:50
10. Tyler Farrar (United States/Garmin) 4:30:50
Following are the Overall Top 10 after Stage 5:
1. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland/Team Saxo Bank) 22:58:45
2. Geraint Thomas (Wales/Sky Pro Cycling) 23:00:08 (+00:23)
3. Cadel Evans (Australia/BMC Racing Team) 23:00:24 (+00:39)
4. Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Garmin – Transitions) 23:00:39 (+00:46)
5. Sylvain Chavanel (France/Quick Step) 23:00:46 (+01:01)
6. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg/Team Saxo Bank) 23:00:54 (+01:09)
7. Thor Hushovd (Norway/Cervelo Test Team) 23:01:04 (+01:19)
8. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan/Astana) 23:01:16 (+01:31)
9. Alberto Contador (Spain/Astana) 23:01:25 (+01:40)
10. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Belgium/Omega Pharma – Lotto) 23:01:27 (+01:42)
Following are the Top 10 teams after Stage 5:
1. Team Saxo Bank 69:03:10
2. Garmin-Transitions 69:03:21 (+00:11)
3. Sky Pro Cycling 69:03:35 (+00:25)
4. Astana 69:05:31 (+02:21)
5. BMC Racing Team 69:06:00 (+02:50)
6. Cervello Test Team 69:06:32 (+03:22)
7. Rabobank 69:06:47 (+03:37)
8. Omega Pharma-Lotto 69:06:50 (+03:40)
9. AG2R La Mondiale 69:06:59 (+03:49)
10. Caisse d’Epargne 69:07:05 (+03:55)
References:
Amaury Sport Organization, Tour de France 2010 WebsiteAssociated Press, “Cancellara Remains Tour leader,” ESPN
Alex Duff, “Mark Cavendish of U.K. Wins Tour de France Stage as Cancellara Keeps Lead,” Bloomberg
ESPN, Cycling 2010, ESPN WebsiteJulien Pretot, “Tears of Relief for Cavendish After Tour Win,” ReutersJames Brand, “Tour de France Stage 5: Cavendish Redeemed; Lance Armstrong Still 18th,” Christian Science MonitorJamey Keaton, “Cavendish Wins 5th Stage at Tour de France,” Associated PressPritha Sarkar, “Cycling-Cavendish Tears Shatter Bad Boy Image,” Yahoo/Eurosport
