Sagan claims stage; Froome stays clear

Peter Sagan had the yellow jersey holder to thank for his victory on Stage 5 of the Tour de France. Chris Froome could also thank his Team Sky colleagues for keeping him out of danger — and helping overcome a mechanical problem — in the race’s first hilly stage.

Greg Van Avermaet mistimed his sprint and Sagan, the three-time reigning world champion with the Bora-Hansgrohe team, took advantage to claim his second victory in this event. Van Avermaet still increased his overall lead over BMC teammate Tejay van Garderen to two seconds by gaining precious time in an intermediate bonus sprint. After a move from Philippe Gilbert, Van Avermaet accelerated out of the final turn with 300 meters to go but couldn’t maintain his pace.

In a repeat of Stage 2, Sagan held off Sonny Colbrelli in the sprint, with Gilbert finishing third. Sagan clocked nearly five hours over the undulating leg that contained five categorized climbs over a 127-mile route. Gilbert moved up to third overall, three seconds off the pace. Froome, the four-time champion, trails Van Avermaet by 57 seconds in 15th.