Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) has lost the
yellow jersey at the Tour de France in controversial circumstances after being
penalised 20 seconds in the general classification for taking a feed inside the
final 20km of today’s stage 5.
The race lead now passes to Adam Yates, the Mitchelton Scott rider who had started the day and finished the stage, some four seconds down on Alaphilippe overall.
Images were played after the stage of the French rider
taking a bottle from a team member of staff with just over 17km remaining on
the stage.
And because that feed was inside the final 20km, and it came to light through the images, the commissaires docked him the time which has cost him the yellow jersey.
Alaphilippe was presented with yellow on the podium after
the stage and even posed for pictures with his Irish team mate Sam Bennett, who
assumed control in the green jersey contest.
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Bennett was 3rd on the stage, won by Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma) in a sprint from a reduced peloton, and also won the intermediate sprint on a day when, unusually, no breakaway formed.
As the time differences in the general classification
were tight, Alaphilippe has now slid from race leader to 16th overall.
Yates said it was unfortunate that he took the race lead in such circumstances, but it is the British rider who will wear the yellow jersey tomorrow.
"I don't think any rider would want to take the jersey like this. I only just found out now that Julian had taken a late feed," he said.
“But I don't think that anybody wants to take the jersey
like this. I wanted to try something tomorrow, but I guess we'll wear the jersey
tomorrow now. I'll continue as normal and try and win stages."
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