Belgian Greg van Avermaet has claimed the overall leader’s yellow jersey after winning the fifth stage of the Tour de France at the end of a long breakaway as Alberto Contador appeared to suffer from crash-related injuries.
The Spaniard, who hit the deck twice in the two opening stages, cracked in the finale and lost 23 seconds to the other top guns who finished together more than five minutes behind BMC rider Van Avermaet – a group which included Australian Richie Porte.
Porte remains well off the pace, after suffering a puncture on the weekend to be seven minutes and two seconds behind van Avermaet overall.
Another big name, Giro d’Italia champion Vincenzo Nibali, (Astana) was dropped in one of the short but hard climbs of the day on the 216km stage from Limoges.
Van Avermaet was part of a nine-man breakaway that jumped away from the pack after some 20km, shortly after going through Saint Leonard de Noblat, the home town of France’s favourite rider, the 80-year-old Raymond Poulidor.
Long labelled an also-ran, just like Poulidor who finished on the Tour podium eight times but never wore the yellow jersey, Van Avermaet added to his Tour stage win of last year.
“It’s special for me, it’s the best jersey in the world. It’s my first time and perhaps the last so I will enjoy every moment,” said Van Avermaet, who now has two Tour victories to his name.
“It’s the best moment of my career. Winning a stage is already quite something but this takes it to another level.”
He and Ukrainian Andriy Grivko plus another Belgian, Thomas de Gendt, went away with 85km left to the finish before Grivko was dropped.
Van Avermaet made his final move on the climb to the Col de Perthus 17km from the line and never looked back.
De Gendt was second and Pole Rafal Majka (Tinkoff), one of the members of the breakaway, took third place at the end of the 216km ride from Limoges.
Overall, Van Avermaet leads France’s Julian Alaphilippe (Etixx-Quick Step) by five minutes 11 seconds and Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) by 5:13.
Defending champion Chris Froome (Team Sky) and last year’s runner-up Nairo Quintana (Movistar) lie fifth and seventh respectively, 5:17 off the pace.
Contador, who could not follow the best when Frenchman Romain Bardet accelerated in the finale, is 25th, 6:38 behind Van Avermaet.
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