THE RACE LIVE

Lance Armstrong finished the fifth stage in 45th place and was given the same time as the stage winner. He will wear the yellow jersey in stage six. There is no change to the top of the general classification.

Robbie McEwen has beaten Tom Boonen to win the fifth stage by about 30cm. The radar clocked McEwen at 63km/h as he crossed the line. The top seven in the stage is:
1. Robbie McEwen (AUS - DVL)
2. Tom Boonen (BEL - QST)
3. Thor Hushovd (NOR - C.A)
4. Stuart O’Grady (AUS - COF)
5. Angelo Furlan (ITA - DOM)
6. Allan Davis (AUS - LWT)
7. Bernard Eisel (AUT - FDJ)

Robbie McEwen came to the front in the final 100m and has won the stage ahead of Tom Boonen.

Eisel is leading out the sprint but all the big name sprinters are now racing for the line...

The peloton is all together with 1km to go. There are FDJ riders ahead of the Quickstep team with Boonen tucked neatly in the slipstream.

There are less than 2km to go in the stage and there are a number of FDJ riders at the front of the stage. It looks like they’re interested in trying to repeat Brad McGee’s efforts from stage seven of the 2002 Tour when he escaped the peloton in the final kilometer.

The Quickstep train is being interrupted by a couple of Cofidis and Davitamon riders with 3km to go. The green jersey (Boonen) is in about 10th place as the FDJ boys come forward with less than 2,500m to go...

There has been a crash near the front of the peloton. It was a Cofidis rider who overshot a turn but it doesn’t appear as though anyone is badly injured. The rider involved as Tombak.

If you don’t count time trials, Tom Boonen has already achieve three successive stage wins in the Tour (the final stage in 2004) and stages two and three this year.
His Quickstep team is currently in charge of the peloton with 4km to go.

There is a lot of jostling for position at the front of the peloton which is now just 6km from the finish of the stage. George Hincapie continues to look out for his team captain, Armstrong, while the other riders vying for a good place are looking out for the sprinters on their squads.

There is a two-pronged head of the peloton. On the right side are teams that are looking to set up a sprint. And on the left is a Discovery Channel trio - George Hincapie, Yaroslov Popovych ahead of Lance Armstrong.

The sprinters’ teams are now in charge of the peloton. Less than 10km remain in the stage and Davitamon, Cofidis and Quickstep riders are leading the bunch towards Montargis.

The escapees have sat up and have been caught by the peloton at the 11km to go mark.

The peloton is about to catch the four escapees who are now just 10" ahead.

There are now two Discovery Channel riders forming a train at the head of the peloton (which is 15" behind Flecha, Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom).
Behind the two Discovery riders is Lance Armstrong. The yellow jersey clearly wants to ensure that he doesn’t get mixed up in any crashes in the closing kilometers.

The sprinters’ teams are now shifting into overdrive. Davitamon-Lotto, Quickstep and Cofidis are setting a rapid tempo at the head of the peloton. They have been keeping Flecha, Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom honest for the past half hour but now that the finish line looms the chase is beginning to take effect.
Only 18 seconds separate the leaders from the chasing group.

The peloton is now 30" behind Flecha, Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom. The bunch is led by the Quickstep team which appears content to hover behind the four fugitives. Only 15km remain in the stage.

The Quickstep, Davitamon and AG2R teams have been leading the peloton since the feedzone. Recently a few Cofidis riders can be seen moving forward in the hope that they can put Stuart O’Grady in a winning position. Before they can start a real lead-out, however, they must capture the four escapees who are 40" ahead with 20km to go.

After a brief shower, the sun is now shining on the peloton. The pursuit is having a rapid effect now. The bunch is just 35" behind Flecha, Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom.

As the peloton passed under the 25km to go kite it was 50" behind Flecha, Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom.

The peloton is 1’00" behind the escapees who are now 25km from the finish of the stage.

With the peloton closing in on the four escapees, it’s fair to think that we can expect to see a bout of attacking action up front some time soon. When Juan Antonio Flecha won his stage (in Toulouse, stage 11 of the 2003 Tour), he was part of an eight-man escape group. He launched his successful bid for the victory with a strong attack 14km from the finish.

Flecha, Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom continue to share the workload at the front of the stage. They have a lead of 1’15" on the peloton.

There are now several riders from the AG2R team assisting Davitamon-Lotto and Quickstep at the front of the peloton. The idea is to set up a bunch sprint at the finish.
AG2R is hoping that Jean-Patrick Nazon can get another stage win.
Davitamon-Lotto is working for the Australian national champion who was relegated from third to 186th place because of dangerous riding in the conclusion of stage three.
And Quickstep is hoping to send Tom Boonen to the line for the fifth Tour stage win of his career.

The peloton is now 1’25" behind the four escapees. Rain is falling and there are about 35km to race.
Simon Gerrans of the AG2R team has come to the front of the peloton and is assiting Quickstep and Davitamon riders in the pursuit of the four escapees.

The four escapees are now within the final 40km of the 183km stage. The move was instigated by Flecha just after the first intermediate sprint (at 20km). About 20km later Carlstrom decided to chase. He was joined by Commesso and Bodrogi.
The three chasers caught Flecha at the 87km mark.
Flecha, Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom now lead the peloton by 1’40".

The four escapees are have increased their advantage on the peloton again. When the main pack - which is led by both Quickstep and Davitamon riders - reached the 138km mark, it was 1’40" behind Flecha, Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom.

The peloton is now 1’25" behind Flecha, Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom.

Jose Angel Gomez (SDV) apparently crashed into a motorbike that was parked on the course. Race radio has reported that he has just returned to the peloton with the help of two team-mates.

The peloton crossed the line in Gien (at 135km) with a deficit of 1’35" on the four escapees.

The points for the third intermediate sprint of stage five (in Gien at 135km) were won by:
1. Savlatore Commesso (LAM) 6pts/6"
2. Laszlo Bodrogi (C.A) 4pts/4"
3. Kjell Carlstrom (LIQ) 2pts/2"

With the leaders about to contest the sprint in Gien, they have an advantage of 1’45" on the peloton.

The four leaders are sizing each other up in the kilometer before the third intermediate sprint. Right now Carlstrom leads but it appears as though Flecha is keen on taking the six points for first place in Gien.

The four escapees are now less than 5km from the site of the third intermediate sprint.
The points for the green jersey will be awarded in Gien at the 135km mark.

The advantage of the escapees (Flecha, Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom) on the peloton is down to 2’00" with 53km to go.

At the 126km mark, the peloton was 2’15" behind Flecha, Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom. The FDJ team has sent some riders to the front of the peloton to assist Davitamon-Lotto and Quickstep in the pursuit of the fugitives.

The peloton is being led by both the Quickstep and Davitamon teams. The efforts of these two squads has made a dent on the advantage of Flecha, Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom.
The escapees are now 2’55" ahead of the peloton.

Flecha, Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom continue to lead the peloton. The current advantage of the escapees over the Quickstep-led peloton is 3’00".

Jose Angel Gomez of the Saunier Duval team has crashed into a motorbike that was parked on a turn on the course of stage five. We don’t have any more details of the accident but will post more news as it comes to hand.

The four escapees are now riding in wet conditions. It’s not exactly pouring down but the roads are no longer dry.

The four escapees are 3’10" ahead of the peloton which continues to be led by the Quickstep and Davitamon-Lotto teams at the 115km mark.

Of the four riders in the lead, two have previously won at least one stage of the Tour de France.
Juan Antonio Flecha (ESP - FAS) won a stage in Toulouse while riding for the iBanesto team in 2003.
And Salvatore Commesso (ITA - LAM) who two stages as a member of the Saeco squad. The first was in Albi in 1999 and then in Fribourg-en-Brisgau when he outsprinted Alexandre Vinokourov after being involved in a long escape.

The points for the category-four climb today, the Cote de Bellevue at 109.5km, were won by:
1. Laszlo Bodrogi (C.A) 3pts
2. Kjell Carlstrom (LIQ) 2pts
3. Salvatore Commesso (LAM) 1pt
The peloton was behind by 3’15" at the summit.

After a split in the lead group all four escapees are riding together again. The men involved are: Juan Antonio Flecha (FAS), Salvatore Commesso (LAM), Laszlo Bodrogi (C.A) and Kjell Carlstrom (LIQ). They are 3’10" ahead of the peloton.

The three climbing points of the Cote de Bellevue were won by Bodrogi. He led Carlstrom over the summit.

There has been some aggression at the front of the stage. Bodrogi and Carlstrom have raced ahead while Flecha and Commesso just stare at each other and almost refuse to pedal.

Lance Armstrong said at the start that he didn’t think it was right to wear the yellow jersey because the former stage leader lost it because of a crash. He did, however, stop at the 0km mark to put the leader’s jersey on.
There have been similar circumstances in the past. In 1971, when Luis Ocana crashed on the Col de Mente while in the yellow jersey. Eddy Merckx inherited the lead but did not wear yellow the next day.
In 1991 Rolf Sorensen broke his collarbone because of a crash in the final kilometer while wearing the yellow jersey. He was forced to abandon after the stage but no yellow jersey was presented that day.
In 1998 Chris Boardman crashed while wearing the yellow jersey in stage two. Erik Zabel inherited the lead and did wear yellow in stage three.

The Davitamon-Lotto and Quickstep-Innergetic teams have come to the front of the peloton at the exit of the feedzone. They are obviously keen to set up a finish for their sprinters Robbie McEwen and Tom Boonen, respectively.

As the peloton exits the feedzone (at the 99km mark) it is 3’20" behind the four escapees.

Guerini (TMO) was also caught up in the fall. He has caught the six-man CSC group. All of these guys have reached the rear of the peloton at the entry to the feedzone (at 97km).

The average for the second hour of racing in stage five is 46.4km/h. The average for the first two hours combined is 49.2km/h.

Ivan Basso is back on his bike of his recent crash. He has the help of five CSC team-mates as he chases the peloton.

Two of the other victims of the recent crash are Guerini (TMO) and Eisel (FDJ).

There has been a crash in the peloton. One of the victims is Ivan Basso but he is back on his bike and being assisted by several team-mates.

The peloton is now being led by two riders from the Davitamon-Lotto team. This group was 3’30" behind Flecha, Carlstrom, Bodrogi and Commesso at the 91km mark.

Laszlo Bodrogi of the Credit Agricole team is the virtual leader of the Tour de France. He began the stage in 19th place overall, 1’45" behind Armstrong.
The Hungarian is currently leading the stage with three others. The advantage of the escapees over the peloton is now 3’30".

Carlstrom, Bodrogi and Commesso caught Flecha at the 87km mark. There are now four riders 4’10" ahead of the peloton.

Flecha is about to be caught by the three chasers who are now just 10" behind the stage leader.

Carlstrom, Bodrogi and Commesso are closing in on Flecha. The current advantage of the lone stage leader on the chasing trio is 28".

At the 85km mark, Flecha’s advantage over Carlstrom, Bodrogi and Commesso was 1’05".

The points for the second intermediate sprint, in Aubigny-sur-Nere at 80.5km, were won by:
1. Flecha (ESP - FAS) 6pts/6"
2. Carlstrom (FIN - LIQ) 4pts/4" - at 1’10"
3. Bodrogi (HUN - C.A) 2pts/2"

As the peloton passed the line for the 2nd intermediate sprint it was 5’00" behind Flecha.

The peloton continues to be led by the Discovery Channel team. This group is currently 5’15" behind Flecha.

The stage leader, Juan Antonio Flecha, has added another six points to his tally in the race for the green jersey. He began the day ranked seventh in the points classification with 29pts. At the second intermediate sprint he claimed first place. We await confirmation of the minor placings in Aubigny-sur-Nere.

The Discovery Channel team is at the front of the peloton as it pursues the four escapees. The yellow jersey could change today if the current situation continues.
Right now Flecha leads Carlstrom, Bodrogi and Commesso by 1’15" and the peloton by 3’45" at the 75km mark.
Flecha began the stage in 45th place at 3’19".
Bodrogi was in 19th, at 1’45".
Carlstrom was in 95th, at 4’44".
Commesso was in 148th, at 5’49".

The stage leader is now at the 75km mark. He has a lead of 2’55" on Carlstrom, Bodrogi and Commesso and 4’20" on the peloton. Flecha is now less than 5km from the site of the second intermediate sprint.

Juan Antonio Flecha currently leads Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom by 1’15". Although the three chasers are cooperating in their pursuit of the Fassa Bortolo rider, they haven’t been able to get closer to the Spaniard who finished third in Paris-Roubaix this year.

Dave Zabriskie was forced to surrender his yellow jersey yesterday because of a crash in the closing kilometers. He is, however, still in the race. The last time a rider crashed out of the race while wearing the yellow jersey was in 1998. Back then it was the winner of the prologue, Chris Boardman who crashed heavily in the stage to Cork.

Flecha currently leads the three counter-attacking riders - Bodrogi, Commesso and Carlstrom - by 1’05" and the peloton by 3’10".

The peloton is currently rolling along on dry roads but the weather bureau has forecast showers at some stage today. The prediction has become a reality at the site of today’s finish in Montargis but the rain is not dampening the spirits of the crowd.

The Discovery Channel team is at the front of the peloton which is currently 2’05" behind the stage leader, Flecha. In between Flecha and the peloton are three counter-attackers (Carlstrom, Bodrogi and Commesso). This trio is 1’05" behind Flecha.

Lance Armstrong explained at the start of the stage that he didn’t intend to wear the yellow jersey today. He said it wasn’t right that he should wear the jersey which Dave Zabriskie lost in unfortunate circumstances. The CSC rider crashed with less than 2km to go in the team time trial.
The peloton stopped at the 0km mark and it appears that the race organizers assked Armstrong to wear the yellow jersey for today’s stage. After a brief conference on the outskirts of Chambord Armstrong replaced his Discovery Channel team jersey with the race leader’s one.

Laszlo Bodrogi and Salvatore Commesso have bridged the gap to Carlstrom.
Flecha continues to lead the stage with an advantage of 1’00" on the three chasers and 1’40" on the peloton.

The man who is currently 47" ahead of the peloton, Juan Antonio Flecha has previously won a stage of the Tour de France. His victory was in Toulouse in 2003.

The first hour of racing in stage five has been ridden a rapid pace. The average speed is 52km/h!

Flecha currently leads Carlstrom by 27" and the peloton by 47". The bunch is now at the 50.5km mark and appears content to let the escapee some leeway.

The escapee in today’s stage Juan Antonio Flecha is at the 50km mark. He is being chased by Carlstrom who is 7" ahead of the peloton. The stage leader has an advantage of 35" on the bunch.

Flecha is holding on to a slight advantage during the fast early phase of today’s stage. He currently leads the bunch by 20". Before the end of the first hour, the bunch has already covered in excess of 45km. The rapid average speed of the 2005 Tour (48.114km/h after 480.5km of racing) is continuing today with the help of a strong tailwind.

Once again Flecha is the only rider ahead of the peloton. The counter-attack by Dekker amounted to nothing. He was caught by the peloton at the 41.5km mark.

Erik Dekker has decided it’s time to try and catch Juan Antonio Flecha. The rider in the polka-dot jersey (Dekker) is 22" behind the stage leader. The peloton is a further 10" back.

The first retirement of the 92nd Tour de France is Constantino Zaballa of the Saunier Duval-Prodir team. He stepped off his bike at the 36km mark. There are now 188 riders in the race.

Flecha hasn’t given up on his escape. With the peloton at the 36km mark he has a lead on the peloton of 25".

After reaching a maximum advantage of 28" on the peloton, Flecha is now just 15" ahead.

Flecha (FAS) is still in the lead of the stage. His advantage on the peloton is 18" at the 32km mark.

Juan Antonio Flecha has pushed his advantage on the peloton to 28". The peloton is at the 29km mark.

The points for the first intermediate sprint of stage five were won by Tom Boonen. The results of the sprint in Villeny are:
1. Tom Boonen (QST) 6pts/6"
2. Thor Hushovd (C.A) 4pts/4"
3. Stuart O’Grady (COF) 2pts/2"

Carlos Da Cruz has been caught by the peloton. There was another attack, this time from Juan Antonio Flecha (FAS). He is the only rider ahead of the peloton at the moment.

The latest attack has come from Carlos Da Cruz (FDJ). He began his move 5km before the site of the first intermediate sprint (in Villeny at 20km).

The peloton has caught Bodrogi and Geslin.

There are two riders with a slight advantage on the peloton. They are Anthony Geslin (BTL) and Laszlo Bodrogi (C.A).

Dekker’s escape didn’t last long. He has been caught by the peloton after 11km of racing.

The peloton is moving along at a rapid pace thanks to early aggression from the likes of Dekker. A strong tail wind is also helping to keep the speed high. The bunch is now at the 11km mark.

Erik Dekker is the latest rider to try and escape the peloton. The leader of the climbing classification was involved in a 180km escape during stage three and it was during this time that he acquired the six points in the climbing classification.

Lampre-Caffita’s Salvatore Commesso has attacked the peloton but he didn’t gain much of an advantage. The CSC team led the peloton’s pursuit and the escape was over at the 7km mark.

At the 4km mark the peloton has caught the three early escapees.

The stage has begun with a lot of aggression. There are now three riders ahead of the peloton. They are Lowik (RAB), Righi (LAM) and Casar (FDJ).

The official start time for stage five is 1.21pm. The reason for the stop at the 0km mark is because Lance Armstrong didn’t want to wear the yellow jersey during the neutral zone. He wore his Discovery Channel outfit for the 5km ride to the site of the official start. The peloton then came to a halt so that Armstrong could don the yellow jersey for the stage.
It was a sign of respect for Dave Zabriskie who lost the overall lead after crashing in the final 2km of stage four.

The peloton has come to a halt at the site of the official start. There is still no explanation for the stop.

The race organizers have asked the riders to stop at the site of the official start. Usually the peloton just rolls out of the neutral zone and the start of racing is signaled when a white flag is dropped from the race director’s car.
No reason has been given for the request today.

The fifth stage will be raced in mild conditions. The temperature at the start is 16 degrees Celsius in the air and 24 degrees at road level. It is overcast early today and it’s likely to stay this way throughout the stage. The weather bureau says that there is a chance of showers during the 183km stage from Chambord to Montargis.

The peloton is currently rolling through the 5km neutral zone on the way to the site of the official start.

There is just one climb in the stage to Montargis. The category-four Cote de Bellevue is at the 180.5km mark. Points of 3, 2 and 1 are awarded to the first three riders over the line.

The fifth stage features three intermediate sprints offering both points for the green jersey and time bonuses for the first three riders across the line.
The ’primes’ are in Villeny at the 20km mark, Aubigny-sur-Nere at 80.5km and Gien at 135km.
The points and time bonuses allocated at 6, 4 and 2 for first, second and third, respectively.

The average speed after 480.5km of racing in the 92nd Tour de France is 48.114km/h. Clearly the conditions have been favorable for fast racing; with both the first and fourth stages being the fastest ever ridden for the respective disciplines. Dave Zabriskie raced to victory in the opening time trial at an average speed of 54.676km/h. And Discovery Channel achieved an average speed in the team time trial of 57.31km/h.
Lance Armstrong is the only rider to have finished the first four stages with a combined time that’s less than 10 hours.

Lance Armstrong is back in the yellow jersey thanks to his Discovery Channel team’s victory in stage four. The six-time Tour champion leads his team-mate George Hincapie by 55” in the general classification. The former race leader Dave Zabriskie is in ninth place overall, 1’26” behind his compatriot.
Tom Boonen leads the points classification thanks to his victories in stages two and three. The Quickstep rider has 70 points, 20 more than Stuart O’Grady (COF).
Erik Dekker (RAB) wears the polka-dot jersey for stage five. The Dutchman has a tally of six points, just one more than the former leader of the climbing classification Thomas Voeckler (BTL).
Yaroslav Popovych has also benefited from the victory of Discovery Channel in the team time trial. The young Ukranian is in the white jersey today as leader of the Best Young Rider classification. He leads last year’s winner of the youth category Vladimir Karpets (IBA) by 57”.

The 183.0km fifth stage of the 2005 Tour de France is scheduled to begin at 1.05pm. There is are five kilometers in the neutral zone before the flag will be dropped by the race director to signal the official start.