By Kyle Moore
Bbox Bouygues Telecom could not have had a better rebound from yesterday’s team time trial blunder, when they overcooked a turn and put numerous riders in the ditch. And Thomas Voeckler could not have had a better day on the bike. Voeckler was the best in his breakaway, attacking with less than 10 kilometers to go, as he held off a charging peloton led once again by Mark Cavendish (Columbia).
It was another windy, flat stage that saw some riders more vigilant, but others still became victims. In a day that many predicted could go to the breakaway, a hard working peloton never let the gap to Anthony Geslin (Française des Jeux), Marcin Sapa (Lampre), Voeckler, Yauheni Hutarovich (Française des Jeux), Mikhael Ignatiev (Katusha) and Albert Timmer (Skil-Shimano) get much past three minutes. The peloton would once again split into several groups on the road. The day’s biggest loser would be Robert Gesink (Rabobank), who faced a long chase back to the group after a crash. With blood running down his leg and pain in his left wrist, Gesink could never completely close the gap to the peloton, losing over nine minutes on the day.
As the stage wound down, Columbia would call several workers to the front. But the break continued to hold off the main bunch, with just a few seconds dropping from their lead as the kilometers wound down. Ignatiev was the first to attack his breakaway compatriots, but Voeckler reeled in several attacks before putting in his own winning acceleration. He had plenty of time to salute the hometown crowd and blow a few kisses, savoring his long-awaited win. Ignatiev hung on to second, with Cavendish sprinting to third.
Stage 5 Brief Results
1 Thomas Voeckler (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) in 4:29:35
2 Mikhail Ignatiev (Katusha) at 0:07
3 Mark Cavendish (Columbia) 0:07
GC after Stage 5
1. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo) 15:07:49
2. Lance Armstrong (Astana) +0.00
3. Alberto Contador (Astana) +0.19
4. Andreas Kloden (Astana) +0.23
5. Levi Leipheimer (Astana) +0.31
