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Stage 5

Saint Martin d’Ardeche – Villeneuve de Berg (115km)

Although not the toughest stage of the tour, the peloton had to climb a 1st, 2nd and 3rd category climb, before the 15km climb to Villeneuve de Berg. Temperatures had steadily risen during the week, now topping 30 degrees and under blazing sun, the riders were now faced with the problem of trying to get the fluids in.

On the 3rd category climb a breakaway of four managed to escape. With the peloton not willing to chase, the breakaway quickly took 90 seconds on the group. Recognising the danger, Rapha Condor team mates Alli Holland and Anna Fischer launched themselves off the front of the peloton. Hoping for help that never came, they worked well together to slowly close the gap on the leaders. Holland leading out on the descent, the two quickly made up 40 seconds on the leaders and pulled out a 2.5 minute advantage over the peloton.

At the foot of the next climb Holland peeled off and dropped back to the chasing peloton whilst Anna Fischer continued on her own, chasing down the breakaway riders. Unfortunately the top riders had seen the danger that this group was posing to them and before the third climb the group had grown back to around 35 riders. This group, despite splitting up numerous times rode to the finish together, where Lizzie Armitstead won her third consecutive stage. Rapha Condor's Anna Fischer won the Combativity Award, a great achievement which got the team lots of praise from the other teams in the race.