Lars Boom claimed victory in stage five of the Tour de France while Vincenzo Nibali finished third, 19 seconds behind him, and retains the yellow jersey.
Lars Boom, pictured at Paris-Roubaix, soloed to victory on the cobbled stage five of the Tour de France. Photo: Sirotti
On a day of wet weather, the route took the riders over slippery cobbled streets and last year’s winner Chris Froome was forced to abandon the race after two crashes.
The Ypres to Arenburg Porte du Hinaut stage commemorated 100 years since the start of World War One and featured many of the cobbles used in the Paris-Roubaix one-day race ‘the Hell of the North’.
Wet weather forced race organisers to remove two of the nine cobbled sections, but Froome’s falls came prior to the first, where the day’s racing drama began.
Boom (Belkin) was in the day’s breakaway and proved the strongest over the cobbles on an epic day’s racing to win by 19 seconds from Nibali and his Astana team-mate Jakob Fuglsang.
Nibali’s was a sensational ride from the Italian as he preserved his place in the leader’s yellow jersey, by two seconds from Fuglsang and 44 seconds from Peter Sagan (Cannondale).
Race organisers removed sectors seven and five – two sections totalling 2.4km – reducing the stage distance to 152.5km, 3km less than originally planned.
Froome’s exit came prior to the first cobbled section, after around 70km, with seven riders in the early breakaway. – The Guardian
View the results here.
