Tour de France Stage 5: Day Belongs to Thomas Voeckler

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Voeckler win 5 step Tour de France 2009

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sourced by Barbara McPherson

Stage 5 of the Tour de France belongs to Thomas Voeckler of the Telecom Bbox Team.  He won the stage in a big upset for the sprinters.  Thomas Voeckler has held the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France but never had a stage win.  At the beginning of the 196 km race Le Cap D'Agde to Perpignan, six riders went out in front and maintained that lead throughout.  At the 6 km mark the six riders stopped working together and it came down to a two man race with Thomas Voeckler, Telecom Bbox and Albert Timmer, Skil-Shimano.  At the finish line it was Thomas Voeckler.  The three top finishers at the end of the 196 km were:

1.  Thomas Voeckler Telecom Bbox

2.  Mikhail Ignatief Katusha

3.  Mark Cavendish Columbia HTC

Overall standings remain the same as the peloton finished at the same time.  Cancellara holds the yellow jersey for another day with no time to spare.

Crosswinds were a factor in the race again today with the peloton getting split up and the tail having to work extra hard to catch up.  The descent of the one climb proved to be dangerous to some of the riders as well.  Tom Boonan was particularly unlucky, picking up two flats.

Stage 6 will see the start of the mountain stage in the Pyrenees.