Martin defends yellow jersey on 5th stage of Tour de France

Although the pace was-comparatively-relaxed, riders still had to stay alert to problems like crashes or a sudden opportunistic attack.

Bouhanni was overlooked past year when Marc Madiot plumped for Arnaud Demare instead, Nacer Bouhanni’s unhappy relationship with the Tour continued on when the French sprinter, now leading Cofidis, crashed along with three team mates 18 kilometres into the stage.

The peloton passes the national memorial at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette cemetery, where 45,000 World War I casualties are buried.

The ride took the peloton through several World War I battlefields on a day of remembrance on the Tour.

It could be a long haul to Paris – where Cavendish, 30, has lost only one sprint finish on the Champs Elysees – because stages likely to favour him are running out.

Greipel’s win was his second of the 2015 Tour. “You had to improvise a little bit”. Heck, he could still win the green jersey. “Luckily, I have one of the strongest teams here”.

I spoke to Cavendish just days before the start of the Tour in Utrecht and he was upbeat about his chances. “In the finish, I was quite delayed, maybe on some tenth position, when I started to sprint fully”. In these conditions, I’m happy to finish second.

Bruised and exhausted from five days of heat, ferocious winds – those scary crashes – and lashing rain, the peloton was in no mood to go quickly, rolling at a meager average of 38.4 kilometers (23.6) per hour as the riders passed through the Picardy region of northern France and into Normandy. “That’s the most important thing”.

That’s not to say Stage 5 wasn’t hard.

“I don’t get it yet that I have won a stage on the Tour”, said the 29-year-old Stygar, a ex- Cyclo-cross rider who is Martin’s teammate on the Etixx Quick-Step team.

He leads American Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) by 13 seconds.

Chris Froome survived a near miss at the Tour de France but race leader Tony Martin was not so fortunate as he suffered a fractured collarbone which ended his race.

While neither Martin nor Cancellara was a contender for the overall victory, the injuries they sustained highlight how tough this Tour has been already – and the battered riders haven’t even reached the mountains yet.

No change in the specialty jerseys today.

Maybe Martin could slap on some stabilisers to ensure he remains safely on his saddle.

But with Germans taking 21 stage wins since 2011, including three more this year, German cycling is booming again.

Gayle Lynn Falkenthal, APR, is President/Owner of the Falcon Valley Group in San Diego, California.

Andre Greipel refused to get carried away with extending his green jersey lead at the Tour de France, while Alexander Kristoff gave up winning the points classification after a chaotic day. I knew nothing, according to those faceless followers on Twitter who deemed my opinions as bordering on the sacrilegious. Written permission must be obtained before reprint in online or print media.