Evenepoel Wins Stage Five As Pogacar Claims Yellow Jersey

Remco Evenepoel won nan individual clip proceedings connected shape 5 of nan Tour de France arsenic Tadej Pogacar took nan yellowish jersey from Mathieu van der Poel.

Belgium's Evenepoel, who is nan world and Olympic champion successful nan discipline, lived up to his billing arsenic favourite connected nan 33km way astir Caen pinch a stunning performance.

The Soudal Quick-Step rider averaged 54km/h to decorativeness 16 seconds quicker than Slovenia's Pogacar, pinch Italy's Edoardo Affini successful third, 33 seconds back.

"I gained positions astatine each checkpoint. The pacing was cleanable and everything was connected point, I'm ace happy," said Evenepoel.

"I did what I had to do to return arsenic overmuch clip arsenic imaginable and measurement up successful GC [General Classification]. It's benignant of nan aforesaid business arsenic past year, truthful I'm happy pinch that. It's a large measurement towards nan podium, but there's still a agelong measurement to go.

"Everybody knows what's coming adjacent week and nan week after. One year, I will travel to triumph nan Tour but it's a spot excessively early this year."

Pogacar was nan large beneficiary of nan time aft an fantabulous thrust of his ain arsenic his main GC rival, Jonas Vingegaard, toiled.

The Dane, who has won nan Tour twice, ended nan title against nan timepiece successful 13th to vessel complete a infinitesimal to three-time champion Pogacar, pinch Evenepoel moving up to 2nd successful nan GC standings 42 seconds behind.

Vingegaard is 4th overall, pinch promising French rider Kevin Vauquelin 14 seconds up of him.

Dutch rider Van der Poel came location successful 18th and drops to sixth.

The consequence besides intends that Pogacar becomes nan first rider to deterioration nan yellow, greenish and polka-dot jerseys astatine this shape successful nan Tour since Belgium's Eddy Merckx successful 1970.

Thursday's sixth shape is simply a lumpy 201.5km thrust from Bayeux to Vire Normandie, which contains six categorised climbs.

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

6. Florian Lipowitz (Ger/Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) +58secs

7. Ivan Romeo (Spa/Movistar) +1mins 02secs

8. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates - XRG) +1min 14secs

9. Lucas Plapp (Aut/Jayco AlUla) +1min 17secs

10. Pablo Castrillo (Spa/Movistar) +1min 18secs

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

6. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin - Deceuninck) +1min 28secs

7. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates - XRG) +1min 53secs

8. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) +2mins 30secs

9. Florian Lipowitz (Ger/Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) +2mins 31secs

10. Mattias Skjelmose (Den/Lidl-Trek) +2mins 32secs