Stage 5 of the 2022 Tour de France saw Australia’s Simon Clarke claim his maiden stage victory in the race as the early breakaway remained at the front. The Israel-Premier Tech veteran, aged 35, pipped Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) on the line while Edvald Boasson Hagen (TotalEnergies) rounded out the podium.
Wout van Aert, who crashed before the cobbled sector and waited for Jonas Vingegaard who had punctured, retained the yellow jersey by the margin of 13 seconds over breakaway member Neilson Powless.
Cort Attacks Again
Polka dot jersey holder Magnus Cort (EF Education-Easypost) went on the attack right off the line, even without any KOM points on offer. Boasson Hagen and Van der Hoorn went with him. Clarke launched a counter-attack and was joined by Neilson Powless (EF Education-Easypost) and Alexis Gougeard (B&B Hotels-KTM) to form a six-man breakaway at km 21.5. Van der Hoorn won the intermediate sprint at Mérignies (km 37.2) where the deficit of the bunch was 2’40’’.
Crashes and Flats
Van Aert crashed in the middle of the bunch at km 57. He was back to the pack before the first cobbled sector where a maximum time difference of 4’15’’ was recorded at km 75. The time difference was 3’ between the first and second cobbled sectors. Ben O’Connor was the first of the GC contenders affected by a mechanical 50km before the end. While stage favourites like Peter Sagan and Mathieu van der Poel had got dropped, Jonas Vingegaard sustained a flat tyre with 37km remaining. Van Aert who was also in difficulty waited for his Danish team-mate. Next on the ground was Primoz Roglic before the cobbled sector 5.
Down to a Sprint
Boasson Hagen, Cort, Powless, Van der Hoorn and Clarke reached the 10km to go mark with a 45″ lead over Pogacar and Stuyven. Cort lost contact on the last cobbled sector with 5km to go. Powless, who was the virtual Maillot Jaune in the finale, surprised his breakaway companions by attacking them from behind under the red flame of the last kilometre but he got overhauled with 400 metres to go. Boasson Hagen took a bit of an advantage, then Van der Hoorn looked to have it but Clarke pipped him on the line.
Thanks to the huge amount of work Van Aert produced at the service of Vingegaard along with their team-mates, the Belgian retained the overall lead while Roglic lost over two minutes to Pogacar.
Clarke: “I thought today was maybe the day…”
“I mean, after winter I had, I had no team and Israel-Premier Tech rang me up. I was given that chance… Today is the reality check that everything can happen if you take the opportunity. The first few days of the Tour, I was looking after the team. But this morning, the team director said: ‘Clarkey, today is a breakaway day!’ The stages I won at La Vuelta and the pink jersey I had at the Giro all came in the first week of the race. So I thought today was maybe the day… But I still can’t believe it. I passed Taco less than 50 meters to go. I gave my bike the biggest throw I could. My stages at La Vuelta came in similar finishes. I chose to sit back and hope for the other guys to crack before. I really had to chase Edvald down. We’ve been sprinting since the last corner. I went as hard as I could until the line. I moved to Europe for racing when I was 16 and I’ll turn 36 on the second rest day of the Tour, so after 20 years, now the dream comes true. Hi to everyone in Australia and thanks for the support through all those years!”
Van Aert: “I wasn’t thinking of keeping the yellow jersey”
“I didn’t really like it at the front of the bunch. The roads were very dangerous in my opinion, as we went through many villages and there were some narrowings (sic) and road furnitures. I didn’t want to take any risks and I decided to bid my time at the back before hitting the front of the bunch. When I started move up, I crashed, lost some ground and, above all, lost some confidence to handle myself on the bunch and on the cobbles. I let down my teammates as I was spent the whole day chasing back. It was not the day we were hoping for at Jumbo-Visma. But even in the heat of the race, you should try and change your mind. Yesterday we fought at the front and today we had to fight from the back. We are glad we didn’t take too much damage on the GC with Jonas. I’m proud of how everyone in the team has committed to the chase. It has been a big surprise for me to hear that I kept yellow jersey. I wasn’t thinking of it anymore as I wasn’t feeling powerful legs in the final. It is nice to keep it for one more day in order to enjoy it in Belgium tomorrow.”
2022 Tour de France: Stage 5 Brief Results
- Simon Clarke (Israel-Premier Tech) at 3h 13′ 35″ – B: 10″
- Taco Van Der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) s.t. – B: 6″
- Edvald Boasson Hagen (TotalEnergies) at 2″ – B: 4″
General Classification After Stage 5
- Wout Van Aert (Jumbo – Visma) at 16h 17′ 22″ – B: 22″
- Nielsen Powless (EF Education – EasyPost) at 13″
- Edvald Boasson Hagen (TotalEnergies) at 19″ – B:4″
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) at 19″
- Yves Lampaert (Quick Step Alpha Vinyl) at 25″
Ron is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.
Websites:
Bike World News
Ron’s Bike Garage
Current Bike Quiver:
Bird Bikes Zero 29 29″ hardtail mountain bike
Commencal Absolut 26″ Dirt Jump/Pump Track bike
Commencal Tempo 29″ full suspension mountain bike
Felt ZA 700c race bike
Kona Kilauea vintage 26″ mountain bike
Niner RLT9 700c road/gravel bike
Specialized Stumpjumper vintage 26″ mountain bike
Day Job: Digital Marketing
Night Job: Digital Marketing, eCommerce Consultant, Web Consultant, Bike Shop Operator, Husband, Dad, Tenor