FRANCE – Stage 5 was an epic one for the Tour de France. The 177.4 km, flat stage was perfect for the sprinters, and those rooting for the legendary Sir Mark Cavendish were eager to see if he could break the current record for the most stage wins in the Tour de France. Of course, if you care, you probably already know that he won, earning his 35th stage win. All eyes were on him at the end, and most of us missed Axel Zingle‘s quick bunny hop over a crashed Mads Pedersen right before the finish.
“It happened very quickly. I had finished my job for Bryan, I had moved aside. For me, the race was already over even though I was still going at 60 km/h. I didn’t expect to have a fall in front of me. I was coming too fast to brake and I didn’t want to fall. My hands were in a snug fit, I was ready so I tried and it went through. I felt that I had touched him, I hope I didn’t hurt him. But he has strong skin, I hope he’ll be in good shape tomorrow!” – Axel Zingle according to a press release from his team, Cofidis.
Mads was, unfortunately, not in good shape after the crash, and he wound up withdrawing from the tour before stage 8. Cofidis’ lead sprinter Bryan Coquard is yet to win a stage, though he came in 8th in today’s 203.6km stage 12. Tomorrow’s stage 13 is yet another sprint opportunity for Coquard and Cofidis, sitting at a quick 165.3km.
Hopefully Zingle won’t have to bunny hop over any more crashes throughout the race.
