Tour de France 2023 – The stage and the yellow jersey for Jai Hindley, Jonas Vingegaard knocks out Tadej Pogacar

The total for Jai Hindley. Member of a royal breakaway which counted up to 36 riders, the Australian from Bora-Hansgrohe scored a double blow this Wednesday in Laruns. Solo winner of this 5th stage which was the first day in the mountains of this 110th Tour de France, he also stole the yellow jersey from Adam Yates, who crossed the line 1’38” behind in a group of strong people where included its leader Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian suffered like the others from the superiority of Jonas Vingegaard, imperial in the climb of Marie Blanque and arrived with a lead of 1’02” over all his rivals. With the exception, therefore, of the new leader of the general.

We can now see it much more clearly. After the first two Basque episodes which had seen Pogacar attack and Vingegaard content to follow, the entry into the Pyrenees marks a clear and implacable shift in the scenario of the Tour. Vingegaard is above the rest, and by a wide margin, and it only took him a kilometer of climbing, the last of Marie Blanque, to make it clear to everyone. Put into orbit by the still precious Sepp Kuss, the Dane started while only Pogacar remained present in the wheel of the two Jumbo. The white jersey did not even try to follow, unable to raise his voice, and the addition was already salty a kilometer higher (38 seconds) when switching to the descent.

Vingegaard strikes a very big blow

There were 18 kilometers to go, two-thirds of which was downhill, and Vingegaard continued to widen the gap despite the alliance of all his rivals behind him. Pogacar was picked up by a small group and finished with the now ex-leader Adam Yates, Mattias Skjelmose, Carlos Rodriguez, Simon Yates and David Gaudu, who becomes the new best Frenchman overall (10th at 1’56 ‘ ‘ Hindley), Victor Lafay having folded the wings from the Col de Soudet, mid-stage.

Following his demonstration, Vingegaard moved up to 2nd place overall, 47” behind Hindley, and had a 53” margin over Pogacar (6th). There he is in pole position for the overall victory, but without the burden of the yellow jersey on his shoulders, which looks pretty much like the ideal situation after just five days of racing. The new leader is Hindley, and it is not said that this interim will necessarily be short-lived given his form displayed on Wednesday and the guarantee of reliability offered by his victory in the Giro d’Italia last year. pass.

Hindley sniffed the right shot

The good shot was formed after a monumental fight of thirty terminals within the peloton, everyone being convinced that the breakaway would go to the end this Wednesday. Jai Hindley had the merit of slipping in and above all of not getting up, a rather rare audacity for a cador of his caliber. It must also be said that this breakaway looked great with 36 strong riders including Wout Van Aert – who was the best placed in the breakaway overall, just ahead of Hindley – and Julian Alaphilippe, who attacked the climb of Marie Blanque with a slight lead. .

These two were taken over by the rest of the group led by Aurélien Paret-Peintre and Clément Berthet, who were doing the job for Felix Gall (AG2R Citroën), who had passed alone in the lead a little earlier at the Col de Soudet, the first pass outside Tour category. Gall accelerated when the grade became severe and only Hindley was able to accompany him. And two kilometers from the top, on percentages above 12%, Hindley distanced the Austrian to fly away to victory, won at Laruns with a 32” lead over Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), Gall and Buchmann. Vingegaard was with this trio, even doing all the work on the final flat, before taking a small break (+34”) during the sprint. Anecdotal given the overall benefit he derives from this first mountain stage.