Belgian rider Wout van Aert won the fifth stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday in a sprint finish, while Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe kept the race leader's yellow jersey.
A day after producing a tremendous effort in the Alps in support of his Jumbo Visma team leader Primoz Roglic, Van Aert posted a second career stage win at the Tour.
Van Aert used his power in the slight uphill finish to win by half a wheel ahead of Cees Bol and Sam Bennett.
“It was a heavy finish. It was maybe the most easy stage I ever did in a cycling race because there was no breakaway, not a high pace at all, but then the last hour was really hectic with the wind," Van Aert said.
The Belgian has been in superb form since the cycling season resumed last month, posting victories at the Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, as well as a stage win at the Criterium du Dauphine.
The overall standings remained largely unchanged as Alaphilippe and all the main contenders, including Roglic and defending champion Egan Bernal, enjoyed a quiet day safely in the peloton.
The Tour, which was postponed from its usual July slot due to the coronavirus, ends in Paris on Sept. 20
