WALLERS, France (Reuters) – Australian Simon Clarke won the fifth stage of the Tour de France, a 157-km ride from Lille, as Belgian Wouth van Aert retained the overall lead on Wednesday.
Clarke prevailed in a lung-busting sprint finish from the day’s breakaway after a day featuring more than 19km of cobbled sectors while two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar gained time over all his rivals.
Taco van der Hoorn of the Netherlands took second place ahead of Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen.
Primoz Roglic, one of the pre-race favourites, lost more than two minutes on fellow Slovenian Pogacar.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Clare Fallon)
