Follow live text coverage of stage five of the Tour de France
Flat 177.4 km route from Saint Jean De Maurienne to Saint Vulbas offers sprinters opportunity
Mark Cavendish targeting record-breaking 35th Tour stage win
Tadej Pogacar leads overall General Classification after stage four victory
Remco Evenepoel 45 seconds behind; defending Champion Jonas Vingegaard five seconds further adrift in third
As breakaway leaders Clement Russo and Matteo Vercher pass through Chambery, they do so with their advantage reduced to four minutes. Still healthy enough for now, but the peloton are cruising and you suspect they will be able to reel in the two brave men out in front whenever they choose.
There was to be no repeat of the heroics produced by Tom Pidcock on the Galibier yesterday, but he still made his mark.
The Briton won stage 12 of the Tour in 2022 on the iconic Alpe d’Huez, following a magnificent descent from the Galibier that day.
Yesterday, Pidcock again showcased his downhill skills by recording the top speed so far in the Tour de France so far this year.
The 24-year-old clocked 106.6 km/h. Frightening speeds.
Image source, Getty ImagesOut on the road, Clement Russo and Matteo Vercher still hold a four-and-a-half minute lead over the peloton, but that seems to be as far as they're being allowed to go for now.
It is Remco Evenepoel who stands as Tadej Pogacar's closest rival for the yellow jersey after four stages. Here's what he made of the Tuesday's racing:
“Tadej Pogacar has once again shown his qualities. We know that when he attacks he is very explosive. I tried to go but I couldn't follow him.
"I was able to get to the summit not too far from Jonas Vingegaard, so it wasn't too bad. Then I launched into the descent and I took a little too much risk, I almost paid for it. I slipped two or three times on slightly wet sections so I lost a little confidence.
"I knew I had to be ready for this stage. I may not be 100% but it's definitely a good start. I told myself that I was aiming for a top five, so finishing second in a mountain stage of the Tour and placing second overall means that I am on the right path."
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesHere's what Tadej Pogacar had to say following his victory on stage four:
“I’m super happy. This was more or less the plan, and we executed it pretty well. It was like a dream stage, and finishing it off solo was very special.
"I wanted to hit hard today, as I was confident I could win and put some seconds on my rivals.
"I didn’t want to attack too early because of the wind, so I saved my legs until that attack with 800 meters to go on which I pushed as hard as possible in order to make such big differences as possible.
"The gaps I created are good news for me. I can be happy with the position and the shape I am in right now. Yet there are three demanding weeks ahead of us, and as for this week in particular there is an ITT that can create some gaps.”
Now then, it looks as though that move by Clement Russo and Matteo Vercher has been allowed to go.
The pair have a four-and-a-half minute advantage over the peloton, which is happy to allow the two riders local to the Lyon area to have their moment out in front.
Here is how things stand in the General Classification after four stages in this year's race.
There's a long way to go of course, but is there any stopping Tadej Pogacar from here?
Here's a reminder of which riders are wearing which jerseys at this early stage of the race.
Image source, Getty ImagesAs Mark Cavendish alluded to there, it's been a quiet start to stage five.
We've seen a few attempts made by riders to launch off the front of a slow-moving peloton but we're yet to see anything that sticks.
Groupama-FDJ rider Clement Russo is the latest to try his luck but only Matteo Vercher, of Total Energies, is inspired to give chase.
Image source, Getty ImagesMark Cavendish, speaking to ITV before today's stage:
"I'm tired but everybody is tired. We will give it a go. I think it will be a relatively mundane day.
"The armchair critics will say sprint days are boring but when you've had four days like this, there are 170 human beings here - they are not machines and they are going to tray and recover when they can.
"We have a climb with 30km to go that is pretty hard. It is in the book as a category four climb but that's a category three climb - it's longer than the three kilometres mentioned.
"So we have to try and get over that and hope that some of the teams don't go full gas over that."
Speaking of menus...
Ever wondered how the team chefs at the Tour de France manage to keep the riders fuelled during their gruelling exploits?
Well, it turns out replacing the 6,000 calories burned daily by a Tour de France rider, while negotiating the vaguaries and motorways of a 21-stage, 2,100 mile race is a formidable challenge.
But just how do professional cycling teams eat and cook on the road? Not so long ago, the professional cycling world's approach to fuelling was remarkably basic, but that has certainly changed.
Read more: Fuelling the Tour de France: Secrets of the team kitchens
After an arduous day in the Alps, the General Classification teams will likely be content to allow the sprint teams to take control today.
Two relatively modest categorised climbs will offer little encouragement to any would-be escapees and promise a high-speed finish.
Image source, Getty ImagesAs suspected, Tadej Pogacar took the opportunity to make a statement on stage four.
The Slovenian did so with an explosive attack 800 metres from the summit of the iconic Col du Galibier, before extending his lead on the 20km descent to the line.
With that victory he was able to put time into all his general classification rivals - including defending champion Jonas Vingegaard.
Remco Evenepoel was second to reach the finish on the 139.6km route from Pinerolo to Valloire and is 45 seconds behind Pogacar in the General Classification standings, with Vingegaard five seconds further adrift in third.
Following a gruelling ascent of the iconic Col du Galibier on Tuesday, today's relatively flat stage provides an opportunity for the sprinters to take charge.
And of course, that means another record-breaking opportunity for Mark Cavendish as he bids for an unmatched 35th stage win in cycling's greatest race.
Is today the day for the Manx Missile?
We're off to Saint Vulbas on stage five. Welcome all!
Image source, Getty Images