Tour de France 2023 ***spoilers*** Warning in OP

More crashes then the m50 on a wet Wednesday morning

I only tuned in for the final 6km. Excellent bang for my buck if the comments on today's stage are anything to go by!

Nice to see Caleb Ewan back competing at the top end.

Good analysis after the race by Adam Blythe showing how much he had to make up on Philipsen without any slip stream

I thought that too - but did the other Cofidis rider clip him as he was squeezing past? Probably should have been able to avoid it, but looked a bit less incriminating when I watched it back a few times. Or maybe I'm being too nice

MvdP relegated and fined for obstructing Biniam Girmay in the sprint.

Bit mad that your leadout can block another sprinter and get a bit of a slap of the wrist, but it’d also be hard to punish Philipsen

Bauhaus gave Girmay a "virtual" nudge too - went to take road position from Girmay, even made a shoulder movement, Girmay blinked first and gave Bauhaus the space.

Looking forward to tomorrow. Powless will be in the break trying to get over the HC climb first.

Stage 5

This is the first serious test of this tour. No doubt there'll be GC battles in this one.

It's hard to know exactly how things will play out in this one. Will UAE continue to set an infernal pace? Will it be a case of them and Jumbo sending a rider/riders up the road in the break?

Whether the break is let away or not there will be damage done in the final climb which has 7.8km at 8.4% and 4.8km averaging 10.4% going up over 11% in places.

I think the break is let away in this one, this stage is too difficult for a team to keep the pace up all the way.

I think Vingegaard is in the best position on this stage with Adam Yates being protected along with Pog. I think everyone gets dropped from the GC group besides the two favourites. Vingegaard has shown how cool and calm he is sitting on Pog's wheel and I think he'll attack early on the last climb in this one, as much to test Pog's fitness as make time this early on.

Anyway I think the break is let go in this stage and I'm hoping my vision comes true. I see Thibaut in the break and I see him winning the stage and putting the yellow jersey on for a couple of days. It's the dream for him and I'd guess for most of us too.

So my pick for the win is Thibaut Pinot.

Things you didn't think you'd hear - Lantern Rouge firmly in the what the feck were bora thinking not bring Sam camp! Even bemoaning Bora not having Ryan Mullen to do the job of bringing DvP up!

Not according to the BBC....

Millar was shocking on the ITV coverage. No comment on the actual front of the race, just Cav watch.

Cavendish loses Luis Leon Sanchez through injury who does a lot of the donkey work keeping him in position until the last 2k.

And Guarnieri from Lotto Dstny is also out with a broken collarbone.

Rough day yesterday for Pidcock😀.

Guessing heart monitor was put on while on bus

shame G isn't there to give him a hand :)

That was probably illegal at the Giro, falling under the regs around collusion. The UCI commissaires at the Tour appear to be sticking strictly to the rule book across a variety of areas this year so a repeat of "helping a brother out" is likely to get both riders sanctioned.

Kerrissst. GCN have set the studio up like a team bus briefing

Yesterday's stage will be forgiven/forgotten if there's a good battle for the breakaway today. Surely they won't just ride off easily?