Tour de France stage five predictions and betting tips: Philipsen can pounce after Pogacar puts rivals in their place

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Jasper Philipsen to win stage five
1pt 5-4 bet365

Tour de France stage five predictions

Tadej Pogacar laid down a marker for the 2024 Tour de France with a dominant ride to win stage four to Valloire.

After finishing second to Jonas Vingegaard in both 2022 and 2023, Pogacar stayed patient as his Team UAE Emirates used their collective strength to blow the bunch apart on the Col du Galibier before attacking over the top to take the bonus seconds.

Vingegaard couldn't hold his wheel and the Slovene shot down the mountain, outclassing his rivals to regain the yellow jersey from Richard Carapaz and finish Tuesday 45 seconds clear of Remco Evenepoel in the overall standings, with the reigning champion five seconds further back in third.

Stage five from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint-Vulbas should be calmer, with a couple of category four climbs and a generally flat run-in on wide roads to suit the sprinters.

Another win for history-maker Biniam Girmay or a record 35th stage victory for Mark Cavendish are the romantic picks but this looks like the day for last year's green jersey winner Jasper Philipsen to assert himself in the race.

The Belgian's form has tailed off after a fast start to the year and his Alpecin–Deceuninck team floundered in the previous sprint on Monday. They need to make amends and Philipsen can prosper.

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