Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) won the fifth stage of the Tour de France on the top of the Mûr-de-Bretagne in a photo finish over race favourite Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard). The 2009 World champion led a highly select group over the line at the end of the 172.5km stage, after numerous attempts to escaped from a number of riders; Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) was third.
“In the final sprint I was committed but I didn’t want to launch too hard because I knew the others could have come around me,” said Evans at the finish. “I saw Contador closing in on me but I just had to hold him off. It came down to the throw to the line and right at the finish I couldn’t even see who crossed the line first. I honestly didn’t see it… I was just focused on reaching for the line.
“I really had to wait for the official result myself before I knew for sure that I’d won.“
The wet stage saw Evans suffer with a number of mechanical problems, the worst of which came in the closing stages as the peloton was beginning to accelerate towards the finish.
“With around 20km to go something happened,” he explained. “I think someone hit my derailleur so I had some problems with my gears. At that moment my bike worked but you have to have everything perfect for the finish so I took a moment and, George with his experience, told me: ‘Change bikes now!’
“It was Marcus Burghardt who took me right to the front and thanks to him I could deliver in the end.”
At the end of the stage, Evans paid tribute to his teammates, who had been one of the most dominant during the day, and helped him out with all his difficulties.
“I was only on my own for the last kilometer or so…” he said. “I think everyone saw George [Hincapie] there two or three kilometres to go and it was having him there to watch out for me, and Burghardt there to deliver me to the front 15km to go after a quick bike change that made the difference.
“It was thanks to my team that I could do what I did in the final there,” he added. “That was the first objective and if I could do something in the stage was extra. To win a stage here in the first week is a real bonus and I owe it all to my team.”
“I’m here for the overall classification and I’m just very happy to get through today without too many problems and be in front,” Evans continued. “To try for the stage win – and get it – is already fantastic and now we’ll look towards tomorrow and beyond.
“As a bike rider you have to have confidence in yourself but you should exude this otherwise you’re considered arrogant so it’s important that I have the confidence of my team-mates and I have full confidence in them,” the former World champion concluded.
Although the Australian is a two-time runner up in the Tour, this was his first victory in a road stage, and also the first time he has stood on top of the podium as a stage victor. His only previous stage victory was the time trial in Albi, in the 2007 race, which was awarded retrospectively after original winner Vinokourov was found guilty of blood-doping.
The Tour hits the Breton hills, and the Breton weather
With the stage finshing at the top of the 3rd category Mûr-de-Bretagne, World champion Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervélo) was expected to lose the yellow jersey, but the big Norwegian has often surprised his critics and so was still hopeful of hanging on.
After three stages under almost unbroken sunshine, the Breton rain arrived at the Tour de France on stage four. The slippery conditions and poor visibility caused a crash inside the neutral zone, but everybody that came down was able to restart without injury.
A number of attacks were attempted in the opening few kilometres, but none was successful in getting away. After 9km though, Imanol Erviti (Movistar), Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil-DCM), Jérémy Roy (FDJ), Gorka Izagirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Blel Kadri (AG2R La Mondiale) escaped.
As they approached the village of Plouay, the host of the 2000 World championships and the WorldTour and women’s World Cup races each August, after 15.5km, the five riders had opened up a lead of 2’15”. Just as in stage three, the Movistar rider – Erviti – was the best placed in the overall classification, 2’58” behind Hushovd, while Roy was already a breakaway veteran, having been part of the three-man escape on day one.
The break is allowed to go but the birthday boy wants to keep control
After the five riders had built their lead to 4’55” at the 24km point, stage favourite, and birthday boy, Philippe Gilbert’s Omega Pharma-Lotto team took control of the peloton and the gap began to come down.
As the leaders approached the 60km point, their lead dropped to little more than two minutes, and Cadel Evans’ BMC Racing joined Omega Pharma-Lotto at the front. Gilbert and Evans were both expected to be duelling for the stage victory on the final climb. After a brief conference between the two rivals, the peloton’s pace eased and the gap began to grow again.
Hoogerland attacked midway up the 4th category Côte de Laz, after 93.5km, and soloed over the top. The ever-aggressive Dutchman became the third rider in the race to take a single point in the polka-dot mountains jersey competition. Gilbert was still ahead of both though, thanks to his superior placing in the overall classification, but the 3rd category Mûr at the finish was sure provide an outright leader.
Having crossed the summit, Hoogerland sat up and waited for the others to catch up. Such was the ferocity of the Dutchman’s attack that it took a long time for the group to reform again, but they were all together once more as they approached the intermediate sprint in Spézet, which was to come with 80km to go.
Roy, who had taken the stage one intermediate sprint with such ease, was the first to make his move; Hoogerland was watching for this though, and eased past the Frenchman on the way to the line.
More competition at the intermediate sprint, but clean competition this time!
Movistar took control of the peloton as it approached the sprint, despite the presence of Erviti in the break, as they were chasing more points for green jersey holder José Joaquin Rojas. As they closed in on the line though, the Spanish team found themselves overcome by the HTC-Highroad team of Mark Cavendish and Gilbert’s Omega Pharma-Lotto team. It was stage three winner Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervélo) that too the big points on the line though, ahead of Rojas.
The surge of activity dropped the gap to the leaders down to 2’30” as the peloton arrived in the feedzone. It was to hover at around this size for several kilometres as the favourites’ teams were happy to leave the five riders out in front.
With 45km to go in the stage there was a split in the peloton on narrow roads as they passed through some woods. Behind the split were Chris Horner (RadioShack) and Evans, who had been experiencing some technical problems; BMC Racing was up at the front of the peloton though, and prevented Omega Pharma-Lotto from widening the gap too far.
With 40km to go, the gap to the leaders was still 2’30”. With the pace in the peloton allowing the split to close though, it was not reducing yet; after a few kilometres the peloton was all back together without panic from those who had been dropped.
Into the final 25km Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Cervélo) came to the front and began to lift the pace at the head of a long line of Omega Pharma-Lotto riders, and after just a few kilometres the US time trial champion had reduced the gap to less than two minutes. Behind Zabriskie, André Greipel was working on the front, pulling for Gilbert as he did in so many Classics in the spring.
The breakaway starts to tire as the peloton breathes down its neck
Up ahead, Izagirre seemed to be having trouble holding the wheels of the others, as all five riders were visibly tiring.
With 15km to go all eight remaining members of the Omega Pharma-Lotto team were on the front and the gap to the leaders was now just over a minute. With 10km BMC Racing and Leopard Trek sent their men forward and it tumbled further.
On the rolling roads with 7.5km to go Izagirre attacked the break and only Hoogerland was able to follow him. Behind them though, the peloton was now less than 40 seconds away. The other three steadily pulled the two attackers back, but the peloton was now right on their heels.
Izagirre had another go on his own but it was all over with 4km to go, and Evans’ teammate George Hincapie, riding his sixteenth Tour, took over. On the small climb that approached the Mûr, the American veteran strung out the peloton with Luis León Sanchez (Rabobank) lurking on his wheel.
Gilbert, looking to celebrate his 29th birthday in style, was sitting in 4th wheel as last 2km, and the steep Mûr, approached.
Hincapie pulls over and leaves the climbers to it
As the climb proper began, Hincapie pulled over and the favourites for the stage were left at the front of the peloton. As they tackled the steep gradients, led by Rabobank, the big men were all looking at one another; waiting to see what the others would do.
Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) took over on the front with 1.5km to go, seemingly riding for his own overall ambitions as well as leading out Gilbert. As the two Belgains rode up the right side of the road though, Contador went on the left with a strong attack. There was still 1.4km to go though, giving the Spaniard a lot to do, and he was tracked by Gilbert, who had Dries Devenyns (Quick Step) on his tail.
All looks lost for the yellow jersey but the God of Thunder rallies
A gap was opening behind the front group and yellow jersey Hushovd had not made it; as Devenyns made a move, Evans countered and was seemingly headed for yellow.
Hushovd though, was not beaten and, with the strength that got him over the hills in Geelong last autumn, the World champion clawed his way up to the front group and clung on.
Rigoberto Uran (Team Sky) was the next to attack, but he was pounced upon by Van Den Broeck, with Evans leading a long string of riders behind him. The Belgian forced a small gap, and Gilbert tried to bridge to his teammate, but nobody was seemingly able to break the elastic on the steep slopes.
It's the 2007 Tour all over again as Evans and Contador battle to the finish
Contador had another try, but was overtaken by Evans. This time the Australian was fully committed and there was no coming past him this time.
Evans, hands in the drops, made a final burst for the line, just as Contador was coming around him, with his hands on his brake hoods. They both hit the line at the same time, Contador raising one arm in speculative triumph, but the Australian was just a few centimetres ahead and was awarded the victory.
Vinokourov was right behind Contador, as the rest of the small group rolled over behind him. Hushovd was in sixth and, crucially, on the same time as Evans, and so holds on to his slender one second lead; the Norwegian keeps the yellow jersey for another day.
Two points at the top of the Mûr give Evans the consolation of the polka-dot mountains jersey though, which he wore in place of Gilbert on stage three.
While there were no big time gaps for the overall favourites, Evans, Contador, Van Den Broeck, Vinokourov, Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Andreas Klöden (RadioShack) take a few morale boosting seconds out of their rivals.