Tour de France 2019: Stage Five preview, TV details and free tip

TV: ITV4 & Eurosport 1, 11.25am

Elia Viviani came out on top in the first big sprint showdown of this year’s race on stage four, blasting to the first Tour win of his career in decisive fashion.

Alexander Kristoff was second, Caleb Ewan third, Peter Sagan fourth and favourite Dylan Groenewegen fifth.

The general classification was unchanged and race leader Julian Alaphilippe will be in contention for another win on stage five, which skirts around the Vosges and features the first serious climbs of this year’s race. It should be a day for the rouleurs with two second-category and two third-category hills, the last two of them back to back in the last 35km.

The timing of the stage means anyone with a chance of a high overall placing will be shut down from opening a big gap, while the teams with overall ambitions are likely to keep their strong men fresh for Thursday’s big stage to La Planche des Belles Filles.

That will increase the chances for one of the breakaway-focused outfits, especially for riders with classics pedigree such as Alaphilippe, Greg van Avermaet or Alessandro de Marchi (CCC), Niki Terpstra (Total-Direct Energie), Nils Pollitt (Katusha-Alpecin), Michael Woods or Alberto Bettiol (EF Education First), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data), Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) and perhaps green-jersey contenders Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb).

Stuyven was hunting the win on stage three, finishing third after Alaphilippe had flown clear, and has the right profile to do well if he has another try.

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J Stuyven
1pt 33-1 Betway

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