The Belgian from Cofidis beats Moschetti and Blikra in Yizhou, while the Frenchman from Soudal-QuickStep retains the leader's jersey. Sunday's final climb is a tough one.
Milan Fretin (Cofidis) strikes again at the Tour of Guangxi. The Belgian wins the bunch sprint in Yizhou, at the end of the 170.1-kilometer fifth stage from Jinchengjiang, while overall leader Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) crashes in the final kilometer.
As with the previous four stages, stage 5 looked set to be a bunch sprint, and so it proved. The group raced together to the finish, with the winner's time set at 3:44:18.
The day's breakaway, consisting of Patrick Gamper and Jasha Sütterlin (Jayco-AlUla), Brandon Rivera (Netcompany Ineos), Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto-Intermarché), Davide Formolo (Movistar) and Max Walker (EF Education-EasyPost) , was caught with 14km to go, clearing the way for the sprinters.
Magnier, winner of stages 1 and 4, once again started as the favorite. However, the Frenchman was unable to compete in the sprint: he crashed along with Max Kanter (XDS-Astana) and other riders as the peloton launched a sprint toward the finish line.
Having avoided the pile-up, the other big names in speed were able to compete for the win. Arvid De Kleijn (Tudor) launched the sprint, but Fretin prevailed, excelling in timing his progression and beating Matteo Moschetti (Pinarello-Q36.5) and Erlend Blikra (Uno-X Mobility) . Completing the top 10 were Joshua Giddings (Lotto-Intermarché), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Max Kanter, Sam Welsford (Ineos Grenadiers), De Kleijn, Cees Bol (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Oded Kogut (NSN Cycling Team).
This is Fretin's second win in this race after his victory on stage 3, and he appears to be in excellent form. Magnier didn't add a victory to his tally, but he remains firmly in command of the overall standings: heading into the final stage, he holds a 10-second advantage over Frits Biesterbos (Picnic PostNL) , winner of stage 2 who was also slowed by the crash. Completing the top five are Max Kanter at 16", Jasha Sütterlin at 18" and Manuel Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at 19". Cees Bol is right behind at 20".
A look at fantasy cycling
Fretin is the sprinter in the best form right now: two victories in three days, with a polished sprint and perfect timing. Moschetti and Blikra have confirmed their consistency and remain key pillars for those seeking a place. Keep an eye on the condition of Magnier, Kanter, and Biesterbos after their crashes: the watershed moment will be how they physically react ahead of the final stage.
The latter, scheduled for Sunday, won't be a showcase for sprinters. The finale features the race's only uphill finish, at Nongla Scenic Spot (3.2 km at 7.3%) . It's unlikely Magnier will be able to defend his jersey to the end: the overall standings are all up for grabs, with Biesterbos, Sütterlin, Narvaez, and the GC men just a few seconds behind, including Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5, 13th at 25"), ready to take advantage. Fantasy race managers would be better off focusing on climbers and sprinters, leaving the pure sprinters on the sidelines.
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The Belgian from Cofidis beats Moschetti and Blikra in Yizhou, while the Frenchman from Soudal-QuickStep retains the leader's jersey. Sunday's final climb is a tough one.
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