Stage 5 of the 111th Tour de France is expected to provide another chance for the sprinters to flex their muscles, this time in Saint-Vulbas, after Biniam Girmay’s superb dash to the line for Intermarche – Wanty in Turin.
Wednesday’s 177km Stage 5 route from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint-Vulbas is predominantly flat with only two small categorised climbs, so it should be a stage that gives the likes of 2023 green jersey winner Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin – Deceuninck), Wout van Aert (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) a chance to shine.
After his impressive first ever Tour win on Stage 3, Eritrean star Girmay is a contender again, as are riders such as 2020 green jersey winner Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team), Dutchman Fabio Jakobsen (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) and powerful Frenchman Arnaud Demare (Arkéa - B&B Hotels).
Saint-Vulbas was the scene of an exciting sprint finish won by Nacer Bouhanni in the first stage of the 2016 Criterium du Dauphine, the Frenchman beating Jens Debusschere and Sam Bennett to the line.
After his Stage 4 masterclass on the Col du Galibier and his awesome descent to secure the victory and the Yellow Jersey, the 2020 and 2021 Tour winner Tadej Pogacar starts the fifth stage 45” ahead of Remco Evenepoel and 50” ahead of Jonas Vingegaard in the GC.
