In the stage that exalts Greg Van Avermaet, winner alone and new yellow jersey, Vincenzo Nibali collapses and already in the fifth stage he actually comes out of the game for the final victory, leaving Aru in the Astana house the task of tempting us. The absolute protagonist with a feat from other times is Van Avermaet, a Belgian who has been pursuing glory in a classic-monument for years, touching it several times and who finally finds it in the Tour after difficult months due to a broken collarbone in the spring.
The Flemish, who is also a gentleman who won the Tirreno-Adriatico this year, created a masterpiece entering the day's breakaway, enlivening it together with his compatriot Thomas De Gendt until he obtained a double-digit advantage over the group and then left in the lurch all on the ramps of the Col de Porthus and fly away towards the finish line. A solitary triumph that raises the bar of the value of this rider up to now considered only in single-day races, given his career with two podiums and five times in the top ten of the Tour of Flanders and a third place in the Paris- 2015 Roubaix five.
After Lioran's perfect stage there is curiosity to see how he will be able to defend his yellow jersey which he has been wearing since yesterday with an advantage that is an authentic treasure: over five minutes over the various Froome, Quintana, Aru, Valverde and Rodriguez; 6'38” on Contador; even 14'06” on Nibali. The standings, played on the edge of seconds until Tuesday, underwent the first important shock after the first victory by gap of this Tour. De Gendt, the last to yield to the pace set by Van Avermaet, finished second at 2'34” .
It hasn't happened since 2007 since the Steegmans-Boonen pairing that two Belgians finished first and second in a stage of the Tour. Third at 5'04” is Rafal Majka, who was part of the initial breakaway but who in the end arrived together with Joaquim Rodriguez, keeping just three seconds ahead of the group of the best from which Nibali had sadly lost contact for some time and also Contador in the final part.
But if the Spaniard, despite all his health problems, limited the gap to Froome and Quintana, Aru and Valverde to 33", Nibali arrived at Lioran 13'45" after Van Avermaet, losing the abyss by 8' 37” from Froome and the other big names. A day that in the Astana house undoubtedly outlines the hierarchies with Aru leader for the standings and with the Shark at his service ready to seize the opportunity to hit a prestigious stage.
“There weren't any legs today – explained Nibali to justify his detachment. After all, I told you I came to the Tour to prepare for the Olympic race in Rio”. Even in the Tinkoff motorhome the after-race wasn't the best moment: after Sagan lost the yellow jersey (yesterday 101st more than 23 minutes behind the winner), doubts are growing about the possibility that Contador, after the two crashes in the first two stages, can stand up to Froome and Quintana.
One would not understand otherwise because once again Kreuziger, after the acceleration in Cherbourg which helped Sagan to win but which sent a suffering Contador out of revs, left his captain alone when Quintana and Froome, also worried about the advantage accumulated by Van Avermaet, they unleashed the tussle by breaking away in the final Pistolero, who, although with a lot of elegance, denounced a certain disorganization in the decisive phases. “I also thought I was losing more than 33” from Froome and the others. I hope to recover in the Pyrenees and the Alps. I still want to fight”.
