Greipel wins Tour de France 5th stage, Cancellara stays top, Hesjedal sits 8th

By Abbey Westbury
July 05 2012 12:41 PM

CP19337020 — David Zabriskie of the US, Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, wearing the overall leader\'s yellow jersey, and Stuart O\'Grady of Australia, from left to right, ride in the pack during the fifth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 196.5 kilometers (122 miles) with start in Rouen and finish in Saint-Quentin, France, Thursday July 5, 2012. Zabriskie is one of five former teammates of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong who, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, have struck a deal with the US anti doping agency USADA to admit to using doping and to give evidence against Armstrong in exchange for what is considered a light punishment, a 6-month ban on professional cycling. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

SAINT-QUENTIN, France – Andre Greipel of Germany led a frenzied bunch sprint to the fifth stage finish line for his second straight Tour de France stage win on Thursday.

Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara retained the yellow jersey for a sixth straight day despite finishing the fifth stage in 32nd place. Canada’s Ryder Hesjedal was 35th, but sits eighth in the overall standings, 18 seconds behind Cancellara.

The mostly flat 196.5-kilometre trek from Rouen to Saint-Quentin was almost tailor-made for sprinters except for a slight uphill near the end.

The barrelling pack overtook three breakaway riders with barely 100 metres left, and Greipel wheeled out in front a split-second ahead of Matt Goss of Australia, who was second. Mark Cavendish was fourth.

The top standings didn’t change: Bradley Wiggins, the leader of Cavendish’s Team Sky, was second overall, seven seconds behind the Swiss leader. Defending champion Cadel Evans of Australia was 17 seconds off the pace in seventh.

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