The 2012 Tour de France continues on Thursday where it left off on Wednesday after Stage 4: in Rouen. Thursday's Stage 5 will be a 196.5 kilometer ride to Saint-Quentin, making it a northeasterly route. There are no categorized climbs on this stage, but it will be a rolling ride for the cyclists.
Once again, this will be a stage for the sprinters. The intermediate sprint, where the riders will be competing for points, comes at the 109th kilometer in Breteuil. At the end of the stage, expect another sprint for the finish line. Andre Greipel, who won on Wednesday, certainly could be in line to win another stage, but keep an eye out for Mark Cavendish, one of the top sprinters in the world. Peter Sagan, the current points leader and wearing the green jersey, is also another contender.
Fabian Cancellara (20:04:02) still wears the yellow jersey for the general classification lead, holding a seven-second lead over Bradley Wiggins and Sylvain Chavanel. Garmin-Sharp's Ryder Hesjedal is in ninth place with an 18-second gap ahead of him.
Start time: 4:30 a.m. MT
Expected finish time: 9:13 a.m. MT
TV: NBC Sports Network has coverage beginning at 6:00 a.m. MT
SB Nation Denver is your source for 2012 Tour de France updates on Team Garmin-Sharp, and be sure to visit cycling blog Podium Cafe as well.
