Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 5

24hrs after winning the time trial, former World cyclo-cross champion Wout van Aert outsprinted hot favourite Sam Bennett to win stage 5; Adam Yates continues to lead overall

Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 5

Twenty four hours after creating a big surprise in the individual time trial, former cyclo-cross champion Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) outsprinted hot favourite Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) in a bunch gallop in Voiron where Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step) rounded out the podium.

Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) retained the overall lead before the last three stages in the mountains.

141 riders took the start of stage 5 at Boën-sur-Lignon. Jacques Janse van Rensburg (Dimension Data) was a non-starter due to sickness overnight. Yoann Bagot (Vital Concept-B&B Hôtels) was first on the attack right after flag off.

He was rejoined two kilometres further by Stéphane Rossetto (Cofidis) and at km 8 by Alessandro De Marchi (CCC). It didn’t take any longer for Bora-Hansgrohe to seize the reins of the peloton as the deficit was 3’ at km 10 of racing. The Mitchelton-Scott team of race leader Adam Yates was prompt to take over and get South African champion Daryl Impey to set the pace of the peloton.

The maximum time gap of 3’25’’ was recorded at the foot of the côte de St-Symphorien-sur-Coise, at the top of which (km 48) De Marchi scored one KOM point after Rossetto had passed first atop the côte de St-Galmier (km 28).

De Marchi also passed first at côte de Givors (km 87) but it was Bagot’s turn at côte de Vienne (km 111.5). After dropping to two minutes, the time difference went above three minutes again with 80km to go.

Rémi Cavagna was designated by Deceuninck-Quick Step to set the pace of the peloton. He rode too fast with 60km to go, so he was called back to avoid an early regrouping before he resumed his work. With 25km to go, the time difference was down to 55’’.

It was all together again 1.2km before the finishing line in Voiron. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) and Philippe Gilbert (Deceuninck-Quick Step) tried to anticipate the bunch gallop in the curvy finale but they were pulled back and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) launched from far out a powerful sprint.

Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) couldn’t pass the Belgian who is the first rider to win two stages of the Dauphiné in a row since Chris Froome took the last two in 2015. But it’s surely something exceptional to add a bunch sprint victory to a time trial best time!

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Wout Van Aert: “This is unbelievable. I never expected to beat Sam Bennett here”, Van Aert said. “We knew that it was going to be very sinuous and technical with all those roundabouts in the last two kilometres. It was necessary to be in position fairly early. My teammates brought me well and I positioned myself behind the leadout of Bennett in the slipstream of Alaphilippe. I launched my sprint in the last corner”.

“When I passed Julian, I knew I had it: my second win in a row. What a great week. I did not expect to be able to win here, but I did want to try and sprint for my green jersey. From tomorrow on I will be riding in support of our leader Steven Kruijswijk and try to take the green jersey back to Belgium.”

Adam Yates – Overall race leader: “Nothing really happened until about 60kilometres to go today. The wind was picking up a little bit but still, it wasn’t the right direction or it wasn’t strong enough to do anything, so it was just a bit of stress in the peloton.

“I don’t know much about tomorrow’s final, the downhill at the end could be decisive but it’s not worth risking your life for gaining ten seconds. Any stage from now on is pretty hard, the last two are quite short and selective but as I said yesterday I’m feeling good. The sensations are good.”

Sam Bennett “Unfortunately, it was not to be today. The boys rode super well for me but the finish was super chaotic and earmarked by many attacks. I saw that Alaphilippe was coming around the corner so I was a little bit boxed in for a second, but I managed to take second place. I am disappointed but I am grateful to the guys for working so hard to pull the break back.”
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STAGE
1. Wout Van Aert Team Jumbo – Visma 05:00:34
2. Sam Bennett Bora – Hansgrohe
3. Julian Alaphilippe Deceuninck – Quick Step
4. Lorrenzo Manzin Vital Concept – B&B Hotels
5. Clement Venturini AG2R La Mondiale
6. Edvald Boasson Hagen Team Dimension Data
7. Zdenek Stybar Deceuninck – Quick Step
8. Sonny Colbrelli Bahrain – Merida
9. Philippe Gilbert Deceuninck – Quick Step
10. Mads Würtz Schmidt Team Katusha – Alpecin

12. Adam Yates Mitchelton – Scott
14. Daniel Martin UAE Team Emirates
97. Alex Dowsett Team Katusha – Alpecin @ 48
121. Ian Stannard Team Ineos @ 02:26

OVERALL
1 Adam Yates Mitchelton – Scott 17:28:00
2 Dylan Teuns Bahrain – Merida @ 04
3 Tejay Van Garderen EF Education First @ 06
4 Jakob Fuglsang Astana Pro Team @ 07
5 Wout Van Aert Team Jumbo – Visma @ 20
6 Steven Kruijswijk Team Jumbo – Visma @ 24
7 Thibaut Pinot Groupama – FDJ @ 25
8 Emanuel Buchmann Bora – Hansgrohe @ 26
9 Alexey Lutsenko Astana Pro Team @ 30
10 Nairo Quintana Movistar Team @ 40

11 Wout Poels Team Ineos @ 40
12 Richie Porte Trek – Segafredo @ 54
13 Daniel Martin UAE Team Emirates @ 1:13
14 Romain Bardet AG2R La Mondiale @ 1:27