Stage Five Highlights

Belgium's Remco Evenepoel, the world and Olympic champion, delivered a stunning performance in the individual time trial on stage five of the Tour de France. Covering the 33km route around Caen at an average speed of 54km/h, Evenepoel finished 16 seconds ahead of Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, with Italy's Edoardo Affini trailing by 33 seconds in third place.

Evenepoel's Strategy

"I gained positions at every checkpoint. The pacing was perfect and everything was on point, I'm super happy," said Evenepoel. He emphasized his focus on gaining time and improving his position in the General Classification (GC). "It's a big step towards the podium, but there's still a long way to go," he added.

Pogacar's Rise

Pogacar, who has already won the Tour de France three times, had an excellent ride, taking the yellow jersey from Mathieu van der Poel. His main GC rival, Jonas Vingegaard, struggled and finished 13th, losing over a minute to Pogacar. Evenepoel moved up to second in the GC standings, 42 seconds behind Pogacar.

Historic Achievement

Pogacar's performance also made him the first rider since Belgium's Eddy Merckx in 1970 to wear the yellow, green, and polka-dot jerseys at this stage in the Tour.

Looking Ahead

Thursday's sixth stage promises more excitement with a challenging 201.5km ride from Bayeux to Vire Normandie, featuring six categorised climbs.

Stage Five Results

1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal Quick-Step) 36mins 42secs
2. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +16secs
3. Edoardo Affini (Ita/Visma-Lease a Bike) +33secs
4. Bruno Armirail (Fra/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) +35secs
5. Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/Arkea-B&B Hotels) +49secs

General Classification After Stage Five

1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 17hrs 22mins 58secs
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal Quick-Step) +42secs
3. Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/Arkea-B&B Hotels) +59secs
4. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma - Lease a Bike) +1min 13secs
5. Matteo Jorgenson (US/Visma-Lease a Bike) +1min 22secs

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