A break of 4 is quickly allowed to get away today, with no repeat of the usual start of aggression from many riders. Cornu, Rowe, Hulsmans and Bak are the 4.
Rowe takes the first sprint, from Hulsmans and Bak
And already the wind has claimed 3 casualties from the peloton, who will lose a lot of time: Van Zandbeek, Rodriguez Parra and 15th overall Schadlich
Theres certainly potential for more splits today, as with Stage 4, and Auber are pushing on, in aim of this
With the relaying riders setting a relentless pace, its a battle behind for teams to keep their leaders in touch. The string of riders down to just 1 by 1, even this close to the front
For the break of 4, the 2nd sprint was to split them. Bak takes it from Hulsmans, with Cornu dropped for having a weak sprint, while Rowe had already been struggling with the pace
And a split has occured! Led by Auber. Drujon, Ligthart and Rolland are with Ford. Tennant, Lang and Vinter also there.
But Cafe de Colombia, Vesuvio and Philips fight back, to close it down
Up front, Bak drops Hulsmans
And another split in the pack. 99 riders ahead, 57 behind
But while Auber are involved at the front, they also have cause to worry, with 3rd overall Reus sat right at the back of the 2nd group
This split comes together, only for a new one to appear. This time with 46 in front, 109 behind.
And on the front, the relay train is well organised, with B&O, Philips, Cafe de Colombia and Festina all involved. Not relaying, but also with some representation in the group, are Wikipedia, Vesuvio, Nespresso, Milka, Energie and Lafarge.
An indication of who has missed out comes from who is leading the chase - Carmeuse, Jack Wolfskin, Lafarge and Sony Ericsson
So high is the pace that the front group can not remain at this size, seen here are 16 riders being dropped
With 12km to go, Bak is caught by the leading group of 30. And those 30 are: Bouet, Morizot, Ford (Auber), Sagan, Reckweg, Jorgensen, Jorgensen, Vanoverschelde, Rasmussen (B&O), Kloden, Pinotti, Pereiro, Healion, Castaneda, Arango (Cafe de Colombia), Bernaudeau, Goddart, Bewley, Bileka (Festina), Cornu (Jack Wolfskin), Schreurs, Serebriakov, Reimer, Mouris, Pedersen, Scheunemann, Morkov (Philips), Hulsmans (Warner Bros) - and somehow, 2 control riders.
It could be a challenge now for the chasers to regain contact, and avoid any time loss
But this is looking great for the 4 sprinters in the front group. Serebriakov, Bewley, Vanoverschelde and Castaneda, each getting a leadout from Pedersen, Bileka, Rasmussen and Arango respectively
Philips are still ramping up the pace though, and the group is whittled down to 17: Reimer, Schreurs, Pedersen, Rasmussen, Bileka, Bouet, Goddaert, Vanoverschelde, Bewley, Serebriakov, Scheunemann, Arango, Pereiro, Ford, Castaneda, Mouris and Pinotti
The sprinters now take control. Rasmuseen, Bileka and Pedersen all battling for the best leadout position, with their sprinters lining up behind. The Colombian pair of Arango and Castaneda are lagging behind though
Look out for Auber tho, with Bouet bringing race leader Ford forwards
Behind these 17, all other riders have been brought together in one large group - and they are actually closing in on the leaders
Now to the sprint, and Reimer has taken an advantage
But Ford leads the response, and takes the lead
Behind them, Vanoverschelde is trying to fit through the not quite existant gap of Bileka/Bouet and Pedersen, but Castaneda is going strong now, despite his intitial positioning
And Serebriakov also makes his move, pulling out to the centre of the road
Castaneda is now closing in on Ford
He has been 3rd, 3rd and 2nd in the three sprints so far, and now finally, Castaneda takes a victory! What a race he is having
Ford is 2nd, the bonuses allowing him to keep the race lead from Castaneda. Serebriakov takes 3rd, then Bouet, Bileka, Reimer and Vanoverschelde
The sprint from the chasing peloton is led by Hushovd, Hoffman and Clerc, and they ensure that no gaps are gained.
So its the same time for the first 153 riders. But in 154th, losing 3 minutes, is 5th overall Rolland
