Riders Gear Up for Stage 5
With two plain stages left before the 2010 Tour de France enters the mountain stages, the next couple of days could prove to be crucial in determining who will grab this year’s green jersey, awarded to the winner of the points classification.
On Thursday, Stage 5 will have riders complete a nearly completely flat route, an ideal set up for a spectator-friendly sprint finish. The 187.5km route between Épernay and Montargis in France offers only two minor climbs.
Teams will be looking to support the sprinters, shielding them from the wind until the very end of the stage, when they will set off on their own to provide the finishing touch if they can.
Alessandro Petacchi, winner of Stages 1 and 4 so far in this year’s Tour, could be looking for another stage win. The veteran rider, currently in 126th place overall, will not be worried about lagging behind in the general standings.
The winner of four stages in the 2003 Tour, Petacchi will instead look to collect as many stage wins as possible and to challenge for the overall points classification. “I’ve come here to win stages and I’ve shown twice that I’m not here to make up the numbers,” the Team Lampre-Farnese Vini rider told the press after winning Stage 4 on Wednesday.
“In the over 200 sprints I’ve done,” he added, “I’ve learned a thing or two.”
Petacchi will be challenged on Thursday by Norwegian sprint specialist Thor Hushovd, who currently holds the green jersey. Hushovd, who won Stage 3 of this year’s Tour, has turned in consistent sprints on the stages thus far.
In 2009, Hushovd claimed the points classification for his Cervelo TestTeam, narrowly edging over British sprinter Mark Cavendish for the title.
Cavendish, who has failed to deliver in his sprints so far in the Tour, will be looking to remedy his situation on Thursday. During Stage 4, his HTC-Columbia teammates had ridden outstandingly to set Cavendish up for his final sprint.
However, surprisingly, the winner of six stages in 2009’s Tour failed to join when the rest of the sprinters took off. Thursday will provide the Briton with one of his final chances to make his mark on the Tour.
Team RaboBank's Oscar Freire, who finished just ahead of Cavendish in Wednesday's stage, will also be looking for his first stage win on Thursday.
As for the favourite overall contenders, Andy Schleck looks to be in a promising position. Riding for Team Saxo Bank, Schleck finished 58th in Stage 4, leaving him in 6th place overall.
Team Astana’s Alexandre Vinokourov and Alberto Contador, both realistic contenders for the general classification, sit comfortably in 8th and 9th place overall. It is likely that these two will keep a low profile until the Tour hits the mountains in Stage 7.
Not all general classifications contenders will be able to afford to keep a low profile. Having lost precious time due to a punctured tire in Stage 3 on Tuesday, seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong will have to go for broke on Thursday.
Currently in 18th place, Armstrong sits 2 minutes and 30 seconds behind leader and yellow jersey holder Fabian Cancellara.
"Our chances took a knock today," Armstrong admitted after his disappointing ride in Stage 3. "We've got to keep our head up and take our chances on the climbs. It was bad luck today."
Swiss time trialist Cancellara retains the yellow jersey ahead of Thursday’s Stage 5. Riding with Team Saxo Bank since 2006, Cancellara will be looking to hold the yellow jersey for longer than 7 stages, which he managed to do in 2007’s Tour.
Tags: