Stage five saw large groups coming in at 10 and 12.30 minutes down. The stage winners, however, were made of slower stuff.
Complicating the Lanterne story this Tour though is the ever increasing list of withdrawals. Some of these riders might have been able to use illness or injury to mount a concerted attack on the trophy, but I fear that whatever is going around at the moment is just a touch too heavy to ride a bike race with. Having already lost lanterne contender Rebecca Koerner, we now lose Kristen Faulkner, who understands to have and to have not.
Our GC halfway through (though sans the tough mountain stages ahead!) looks like this. Elena Cecchini will be hoping that whatever ill fate took both Elisas out of the race (RIP my Velogames team) it isn't working backwards alphabetically.
Kiara Lylyk has a decent lead at the bottom, and will fight anyone that says Y isn't a vowel. Especially if that person is Maurène Trégouët, who has stolen almost all the others and can't even decide what sort of E she wants. That'øs just greedy.
