‘Blocked’ Greipel defies odds to steal fifth stage
AMIENS: Andre Greipel said he feared he’d been boxed in before powering through to win the 189.5km Tour de France fifth stage on Wednesday.
Greipel surged past Mark Cavendish and Alexander Kristoff before holding off Peter Sagan, who finished like a bullet, to win his second stage of this year’s Tour and his eighth in total.
But he said there was a moment when he thought he might be trapped and the chance would have gone.
“I think it was quite an interesting sprint as none of the sprinters had a real lead-out man in the last 400 metres, so everybody had to time their sprint somehow and find the right position,” said the 32-yearold German.
“I thought the sprint was finished for me but I managed to find space to get out and launch my sprint. I thought it was a really interesting sprint.
“I was just looking for the gap, I knew the right side would be blocked and I was just focusing on the left side to get out.”
Sagan finished so fast that 10 metres beyond the line he was already well ahead of Greipel, but he said he just started his sprint from too far back.
It was the second time he’d finished second to Greipel in a sprint finish this year, while he was also third in Tuesday’s stage.
Last year he had nine top five finishes at the Tour, including four second places, but he has not won a stage since 2013.
However, whereas last year he had the entire Cannondale team working for him, this year he is a domestique for Alberto Contador at Tinkoff-Saxo and is only let off the leash at the end of stages to challenge for the win.
“I was too far back in the last 100 metres and I was just a little bit late but overall it was good,” he said.
“I was simply too far back in 10th position with 200 metres to go and I couldn’t catch Greipel.”
He added: “It’s hard to beat Greipel and I’m happy with my second place. We will see what happens tomorrow [Thursday], it will depend on the conditions and if there is wind.
“I was free to do my own race in the last five kilometres and I tried to position myself but a lot of riders came from behind and I had too many metres to make up in the final 100 metres.”
Meanwhile, race leader Tony Martin said he didn’t get a chance to enjoy his first ever day in yellow as he couldn’t sleep the night before.
The 30-year-old German won Tuesday’s fourth stage and relieved 2013 champion Chris Froome of the yellow jersey.