2015 Tour de France results and standings, Stage 5: Andre Greipel wins wet, sloppy day

Stage 5 of the Tour de France wasn’t quite the snoozer it was expected to be. High winds and rain caused a lot of minor crashes near the back of the peloton, including an early tumble that forced Confidis sprinter Nacer Bouhanni to abandon. A big crash involving roughly 20 riders with just under 25 kilometers thankfully didn’t force more riders to quit.

The strongest teams stayed near the front of the peloton, carrying all of the potential tour winners without issue. They cruised towards the line content to set up the inevitable sprint showdown.

Andre Greipel won by nudging out Peter Sagan, Mark Cavendish and Alexander Kristoff at the line in a tremendous flurry up their left flank. General classification contenders took on support roles at the head of the lead-outs in the final few kilometers, but Greipel’s Lotto-Soudal team appeared to fall back after taking a poor line around a roundabout. No matter for Greipel, however, who picked his way back through the peloton to position himself for his second stage win of the tour.

The damage to the general classification was minimal. The peloton split in two with roughly 70 kilometers remaining, but left behind dregs. The second group came into the finish line more than 14 minutes behind the first group. Tony Martin will remain in the yellow jersey after finishing with the main pack.