The 2013 Vuelta a Espana continues with another rugged stage. As the peloton cycle 174.3km from Sober to Lago De Sanabria. Join us for live updates from 12.00am AEST.
Departing Galicia for the autonomous region of Castile and Leon, the stage ends near the shoreline of Sanabria Lake.
The predicted North-Easterly to Easterly winds could cause trouble, as the peloton farewells the valleys and becomes more exposed while they ascend to climb the two categorised climbs of the stage.
For such a mountainous profile it is surprising there are only two categorised climbs.
The summit of the Alto do Covelo arrives 79.5km in to the stage, while the summit of the Alto de Padornelo arrives 31.3km from Stage 5’s finish.
The two climbs are tentatively 11km and 10km in length at average gradients of 4 percent and 2.6 percent respectively.
The final kilometres of the stage will, for once, be relatively flat, and ever so slightly downhill for the final kilometre.
The only object hindering the bunch sprint shall be the finishing ‘straight’.
Positioning will be essential due to the curvy nature and width of the road, so the finish shall best suit those teams and sprinters with strong lead-out trains able to stretch the peloton out and claim pole position.
An early breakaway should again form soon after the stage begins.
However, the breakaway could be on a tight leash, with Stage 5 being one of a limited number of opportunities the sprinters have to prove themselves.
The parcours will not help them however, so we could see some tired legs before the stage’s finish.
Prepare the caffeine and steady yourself for yet another exciting stage finale in the 2013 Vuelta a Espana. Remember to join us from 12.00am AEST for live updates.
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
Ahem, "TV coverage will be Live" rather...
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
Thank you for joining me for another enthralling stage in the 2013 Vuelta a Espana, with Aussie Michael Matthews winning the bunch sprint. Be sure to tune in to The Roar over the remainder of la Vuelta a Espana for more live race updates, stage previews, and race analysis. Tune in tomorrow for Stage 6 as we see whether or not the sprinters will claim another stage victory. Where I am sure Australia will be hoping Michael Matthews can produce a repeat performance of tonight's result. TV coverage will be like on Eurosport from 23:45 AEST (11:45pm AEST), whilst SBS should have live TV coverage and online streaming of La Vuelta the day after during Stage 7. Remember to consult your local guide for details.
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
Tomorrow's Stage 6 should be another high octane sprint, with the race using the large straight avenues within the Extremadurian town of Cáceres. It should suit the real powerhouse sprinters in the bunch, with Orica-GreenEDGE hopefully once again to the fore and in with a chance of claiming the stage victory.
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
Fortunately no issues with anyone collecting their jerseys during the post-stage presentations today.
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
Vuelta a Espana - General Classification Top 10: 1st. Vincenzo Nibali of Astana 18h43m52s 2nd Chris Horner of Radioshack-Leopard +3" 3rd. Nicolas Roche of Team Saxo-Tinkoff +8" 4th. Haimar Zubeldia of Radioshack-Leopard +16" 5th. Alejandro Valverde of Movistar +21" 6th. Robert Kiserlovski of Radioshack-Leopard +26" 7th. Rigoberto Uran of Team Sky +28" 8th. Daniel Moreno of Team Katusha +31" 9th. Rafal Majka of Team Saxo-Tinkoff +38" 10th. Roman Kreuziger of Team Saxo-Tinkoff +42"
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
Coming up in a moment will be the Top 10 of the General Classification for the 2013 Vuelta a Espana.
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
If you are new to La Vuelta, the Combination Classification is for the best placed rider in the Points, General, and 'King of the Mountains' classification. A rider's position in those three competitions is added up to calculate their points total, with lowest the best. So, for example, a rider who is third in all three competitions scores 9pts. Whilst someone first in one, fifth in another, and second in the other classifications scores 8pts, and leads the Combination competition.
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
So no changes all-round in the four jersey classifications, with the all four jerseys confirmed to have been retained by their current classification leaders. Since Nicolas Roche is currently leading the 'King of the Mountains' classification he currently does not wear the Maillot Blanco (White Jersey) of the Combination Classification. The Irishman does however currently lead the Combination Classification.
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
Some of the General Classification contenders were interestingly just outside of the Top 10 for the stage finish. With Bauke Mollema provisionally finishing 12th for Stage 5.
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
It could be argued that Nikias Arndt should have begun his sprint earlier, as he was passed and beaten by two other riders (not including Matthews).
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
Argos-Shimano were perfectly positioned leading in to that sprint won by Matthews, but the young Australian sprinter caught Nikias Arndt by surprise and had enough in reserve to lead the competition across the finishing line.
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
So Orica-GreenEDGE have won their first stage of the 2013 Vuelta a Espana through the efforts of the team and sprinter Michael "Bling" Matthews. With tomorrow's Stage 6 another day which should be a sprint finish could the Australian outfit make it two wins out of two sprints for the fast men?
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
The [Provisional] Top 10 in the General Classification appears to be unchanged for now. So Vincenzo Nibali of Team Astana retains the Maillot Rojo (Red Jersey) for another day.
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
[Provisional Results] Stage 5 - Top 10 of the Stage: 1st. Michael Matthews of Orica-GreenEDGE 2nd. Maximiliano Ariel Richeze of Lampre-Merida 3rd. Gianni Meersman of Omega Pharma - Quick-Step 4th. Nikias Arndt of Argos-Shimano 5th. Tyler Farrar of Garmin-Sharp 6th. Edvald Boasson Hagen of Team Sky 7th. Anthony Roux of FDJ.fr 8th. Gregory Henderson of Lotto-Belisol 9th. Daniele Ratto of Cannondale 10th. Grega Bole of Vacansoleil - DCM
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
Michael Matthews of Orica-GreenEDGE would appear to be the rider who has won a thrilling Stage 5 of la Vuelta a Espana. A wonderfully timed sprint by the young Australian to claim the stage victory.
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
ORICA-GREENEDGE TAKE THE VICTORY!
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
Gilbert's attack fails, as Argos-Shimano lead the sprint out!
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
Philippe Gilbert attacks!
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
Argos-Shimano have come to the fore of the peloton to lead out their sprinter approaching the finishing line! There is just 1.4km left to go!
Matthew Boulden
Roar Guru
Euskaltel-Euskadi have attacked off the front as the pace of the peloton cools slightly. However, he will likely be caught before the finish. However, it is not a sure thing. As Pablo Urtasun is the rider confirmed to have attacked.