Zwift Tour de France Power Rankings - Stage 5

What was potentially a day for the breakaway was nullified by the combined efforts of BORA-hasngrohe and Team Sunweb. One won the other ended frustrated and fighting with other teams.

Julian Alaphilippe, Alejandro Valverde, Tour de France 2019, Stage 5

'Congrats on your second in the Power Rankings!' Source: Getty

It's often a tough task to tell at a glance which teams are doing well at the Tour de France, there are 22 of them going around France, each with their own objectives and strengths. 

To keep an eye on how each team is progressing, Cycling Central is running the Zwift Power Rankings during this Tour de France. It's a quick guide from stage to stage of which teams are excelling and which are unlucky or faring poorly.

1. Jumbo-Visma (same)

Wout van Aert was free-styling in the finale and didn't have the best positioning but flashed home to finish second. Pencil him in for a stage win later in the race.

Steven Kruijswijk is in line to collect yellow if Alaphilippe can't make it up the Planche des Belles Filles with the top climbers. It really is a tough finale though and if say Bernal wins the stage and claims the ten second bonus on the line, he only needs to make up a further five seconds to move ahead of Kruijswijk. 

Best Results: Mike Teunissen 1st- Stage 1, Yellow Jersey 2 stages; Wout van Aert 2nd- Stage 5; 1st- Stage 2 Team Time Trial

2. Deceuninck-Quickstep (same)

The team largely got a day off after being key players in every stage to date in the race. BORA-hansgrohe and Team Sunweb were the main chasers on the front of the peloton.

Alaphilippe had a go at the sprint, but doesn't he doesn't quite have the power of some of the bigger riders present and got washed away in the fight for position. The question is whether he can hold onto yellow after Stage 6. 

The Planche des Belles Filles is shorter than many climbs at this year's race, but it's the last of seven categorised climbs and it's still seven kilometres at 8.5 per cent. Alaphilippe is less than even money to last to the top with the best climbers, even in the form he's currently displaying.

Best Results: Julian Alaphilippe 1st- Stage 3, Yellow Jersey 2 stages; Elia Viviani 1st- Stage 4; 3rd- Stage 2 Team Time Trial

3. BORA-hansgrohe (up one position)

Big win for Sagan on a stage the team wouldn't have been counting on. They did the work on the front when they realised Sunweb were prepared to help out and brought the race back together so the three-time world champion could do his thing on the flat finish. 

The sprint finish wasn't in doubt for long, once Sagan launched it was clear he was the fastest rider present.

Best Results: Peter Sagan 1st- Stage 5, 2nd- Stage 1, Green Jersey 3 days

4. Soudal Lotto (down one position)

A good day for Soudal Lotto, they just slip down with the performances of Peter Sagan overtaking them.

Tim Wellens secured his grip on the mountains jersey, though he'll have to be part of the early escape again tomorrow with seven categorised climbs, including double points at the summit finish.

Best Results: Caleb Ewan 3rd- Stage 1+4, Tim Wellens Mountains Jersey 3 days

5. Team Sunweb (same)

A missed opportunity for Sunweb and Matthews. They committed a lot of resources to keeping the race together for the finish but again Matthews was poorly positioned coming into the finish. He had to expend some energy to come around to the front of the bunch and fight Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) for some shelter from the wind. 

Impey wasn't willing to give any favours and Matthews got pushed back down fighting for position, having to come again late to even reach seventh place. Matthews, clearly frustrated after the stage had some words with Impey but it's hard to see what the South African did wrong.

Matthews is now well back in the fight for green, 47 points, and he needs something to go wrong with Sagan's push for the jersey.

Best Results: Michael Matthews 2nd- Stage 3; 4th- Stage 2 Team Time Trial

6. Team Ineos (same)

Things couldn't be going much better for Team Ineos at this stage of the race, I'm sure that they'd have loved a stage win in the TTT, but they now have Jumbo-Visma as a handy partner in working to marshal breakaways.

Best Results: 2nd- Stage 2 Team Time Trial

7. CCC (same)

Greg van Avermaet has got a lot of pressure on him for these sort of stages, CCC don't have the same depth of talent as other teams. He's been fine so far, but they're mostly up this high in the rankings due to their attacking style so far, and will need to get some results as well to keep their position.

Best Results: Greg van Avermaet- 4th Stage 3, Mountains Jersey 2 stages

8. EF Education First (up two positions)

The rankings reward attacking intent and EF Education First were aggressive with Simon Clarke early in the stage, with the Australian eventually escaping up the road with the move of the day. He was unlucky that Sunweb and BORA-hansgrohe were so intent on bringing the move back as his early season form had been such that he would have been in with a great shot at victory.

9. UAE Team Emirates (up two positions)

Rui Costa showed that he wasn't prepared to sit and wait like everybody else, chancing an attack into a slight headwind with seven kilometres left and doing a good job to nearly hold off a determined peloton. The former world champion being caught with under two kilometres left.

10. Dimension Data (down one position)

Edvald Boasson Hagen had a mechanical and despite chasing back on was a spent force at the finish. A pity for the Norwegian as this was the sort of stage where he used to be a strong contender. 

Best Results: Giacomo Nizzolo 4th- Stage 1

11. Mitchelton-Scott (up two positions)

Impey was all over the finish, doing a superb job in leading out Trentin. Unfortunately for Mitchelton-Scott, Trentin had a proper sprinter on his wheel and couldn't match Sagan, and he was also just pipped for third by van Aert.

The main game is coming on the climbs on Stage 6, with Adam Yates and his support team sure to come to the fore at some point in the race.

There was a bit of disagreement between Impey and Matthews after the finish, hard to see it blowing up much further though.

12. Wanty Groupe Gobert (down four positions)

Didn't make the breakaway and when your primary job is to do so and try to animate the race, they're going to drop down the Power Rankings. 

On a side note, Guillame Martin is looking okay, and will be one to watch for mountains breakaways, perhaps on Stage 6.

13. Bahrain Merida (up one position)

Colbrelli is racking up minor placings to the extent that Bahrain-Merida is holding a mid-Power Rankings position. 

Stage 6 is likely to be where Nibali makes his decision on whether he'll fight for the yellow jersey or not, it also might be a very good stage for Dennis to go in the breakaway early as he's already lost plenty of time.

14. Cofidis (down two positions)

No presence in the breakaway for the second day in a row and despite Julian Simon's sixth place at the finish they move down a few spots. 

They'll be looking to Jesus Herrada's performance up the Planche des Belles Filles.

15. Trek-Segafredo (up one position)

Tom Skuijns was the strongest man in the break, unlucky that that didn't result in a stage win. Jasper Stuyven was right in the mix for the sprint, but got a bit caught out having to use a lot of energy maneuvering around the front of the race. 

All eyes on Porte for Stage 6, the chance for the Australian to show himself and whether he's found his form after an early season bout of bronchitis. 

Best Results: Jasper Stuyven 3rd- Stage 3

16. Groupama-FDJ (down one position)

The French squad will be happy with where they sit with Pinot, but they haven't done anything other than stay safe and limit their time losses.

17. Katusha-Alpecin (up two positions)

Signs of life as Mads Würtz Schmidt made the early breakaway but was the first of the quartet dropped.

Nils Pollitt was sighted for the first time, with the Paris-Roubaix runner-up finishing eighth in the sprint finish.

18. Total Direct Energie (down one position)

Did absolutely nothing this stage, and were only lucky that only one team behind them accomplished anything of note.

19. Team Arkea-Samsic (down one position)

The team haven't proved themselves a factor at the race yet.

20. Astana (same)

The team is clearly going all-in for Jakob Fuglsang as they didn't try too hard to attack on a stage that appeared to suit their riders' characteristics.

21. Movistar (same)

Movistar have been anonymous so far in the race.

22. AG2R-La Mondiale (same)

To AG2R-La Mondiale's credit, they did try and make the breakaway, sending Oliver Naesen and Benoit Cosnefroy in doomed attempts before the move was formed.

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8 min read
Published 11 July 2019 10:50am
By SBS Cycling Central
Source: SBS


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