Tour de France stage five predictions and cycling betting tips: Peloton enter the Pyrenees

Where to watch stage five of the Tour de France

Eurosport 1 & ITV4, 12.25pm Wednesday

Tour de France stage five predictions

Jasper Philipsen confirmed that he is the fastest sprinter around with a second stage win in as many days on stage four of the Tour de France on Tuesday.

Philipsen, who until last year had not won a Tour stage, has now won the last four bunch sprints across the last two editions of the race.

It's climbing legs, not pure speed, which will be key on stage five, however, as the peloton enter the Pyrenees.

Customary Tour pitstop Pau is the departure point for a 162.7km test taking in the first super-category climb of this year's race - the Col de Soudet - and the first category Col de Marie Blanque.

The stage is something of a headscratcher for punters. 

On first glance, stage five looks an excellent chance for a first breakaway success of the Tour with the Col de Soudet offering an ideal springboard to escape the clutches of the peloton. And after two arduous opening days in the Basque country, the bigger-than-usual time gaps at this early stage would also point to a punt on a stage hunter.

To that end, specialist escape artists Magnus Cort Neilsen, Matej Mohoric and current polka-dot jersey wearer Neilsen Powless would all have claims of success.

However, there are bonus seconds on offer at the crest of the Col de Marie Blanque, which tops out 20km from the finish, and that could entice general-classification heavyweights Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard into action.

Pogacar famously loves to fight for every second available on the road, and of the pair he has looked in marginally better shape in the opening exchanges. 

Should Pogacar win on Wednesday it would be a case of history repeating itself for the Slovene, whose first Tour stage success came on a route also starting in Pau and ending in the stage-five finishing town of Laruns.

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