Nicolas Roche went on the attack on the epic stage of the Tour of Poland that saw half the field abandon.
If the first four stages of the Tour of Poland made have made for some boring viewing when they all ended in bunch sprints, things got interesting yesterday; a little too interesting in fact.
Really wet and cold conditions combined with a very hilly course to ensure half the field abandoned.
And among them were Ireland's Matt Brammeier (Dimension Data) and Stephen Clancy (Novo Nordisk). But national champion Nicolas Roche is still standing.
The Team Sky man finished in 28th place almost 17 minutes down on a day when there were massive gaps in the field.
The stage was won by Tim Wellens of Lotto-Soudal who had 3:48 to spare over runner-up Davide Formolo (Cannondale-Drapac).
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Roche went on the attack with Wellens in the early breakaway but when Wellens attack the group fell apart and the gaps quickly became very large, even at the front of the race among the strongest riders.
Roche had also been on the attack on the climbs on stage 3 but was caught with 16km remaining.
Wellens took a brilliant stage win and now has the leader's jersey; a huge day for the man from Belgium.
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With seven categorised climbs yesterday and the race run on a circuit course; the huge time gaps and horrible weather was a recipe for lots of riders to opt for the warmth of the team cars once they had fallen out of contention.
The race being halted for a period in such bad weather in the early stages because of a crash did not help matters.
Some 186 riders began the 225km trek that started in Wieliczka and finished with Zakopane where there were three circuits of an undulating course to contend with.
But the time it was over, 86 men had had enough and climb off leaving exactly 100 in the event.
The summer rain also made the road surfaces very slippy, with countless crashes along the way simply adding to a stage that turned the race on its head and sees yesterday's stage winner now lead overall by 4:05 from second placed man Formolo.
With two stages to go - a 194km road stage today and a 25km TT tomorrow - it looks very much like Wellens is in control and he also has the lead in the sprints classification and climbers' competition.
But with lots more rain forecast today, anything can happen though Wellens was brave enough to go in an early breakaway yesterday and then press on alone from a long way out despite riders falling like flies all day.
Stage 5: Wieliczka to Zakopane (225km)
1 Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Soudal 5:57:22
2 Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac 0:03:48
3 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:04:37
4 Fabio Felline (Ita) Trek-Segafredo 0:04:38
5 Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac 0:04:49
6 Lawrence Warbasse (USA) IAM Cycling 0:05:12
7 Andrey Zeits (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
8 Ruben Fernandez (Spa) Movistar Team 0:05:27
9 Matvey Mamykin (Rus) Team Katusha 0:05:32
10 Davide Villella (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac 0:05:59
11 Dario Cataldo (Ita) Astana Pro Team
12 Jesper Hansen (Den) Tinkoff Team 0:06:48
13 Bart De Clercq (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:06:52
14 Mirco Maestri (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:07:42
15 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:09:26
16 Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:10:03
17 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:11:36
18 Pawel Cieslik (Pol) Verva ActiveJet Pro Cycling Team 0:11:42
19 Nico Denz (Ger) AG2R La Mondiale
20 Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spa) Movistar Team 0:11:47
21 Simon Yates (GBr) Orica-BikeExchange 0:12:37
22 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar Team 0:13:49
23 Sergei Chernetski (Rus) Team Katusha 0:14:38
24 Simon Clarke (Aus) Cannondale-Drapac 0:15:29
25 Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) BMC Racing Team
26 Primož Roglic (Slo) Team LottoNl-Jumbo
27 Felix Grossschartner (Aut) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
28 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team Sky 0:16:52
29 Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre - Merida 0:17:57
30 Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:23:16
31 Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Team LottoNl-Jumbo
32 Maciej Paterski (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
33 Dayer Uberney Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar Team
34 Michal Golas (Pol) Team Sky 0:26:29
35 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky
36 Floris Gerfs (Ned) BMC Racing Team
37 Jordi Simon Casulleras (Spa) Verva ActiveJet Pro Cycling Team
38 Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Team Sky
39 Hugo Houle (Can) AG2R La Mondiale
40 Javier Megias Leal (Spa) Team Novo Nordisk
41 Dion Smith (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling
42 Víctor De La Parte (Spa) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
43 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Cannondale-Drapac
44 Simone Petilli (Ita) Lampre - Merida
45 Artem Ovechkin (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
46 Manuele Mori (Ita) Lampre - Merida
47 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick-Step
48 Sergey Lagutin (Rus) Team Katusha
49 Sander Armee (Bel) Lotto Soudal
50 Svein Tuft (Can) Orica-BikeExchange
51 Louis Vervaeke (Bel) Lotto Soudal
52 Artur Detko (Pol) Polish National Team 0:35:01
53 Kévin Reza (Fra) FDJ 0:46:38
54 Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar Team
55 Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bardiani CSF
56 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Tinkoff Team
57 Marcel Aregger (Swi) IAM Cycling
58 Lorenzo Manzin (Fra) FDJ
59 Charles Planet (Fra) Team Novo Nordisk
60 Rory Sutherland (Aus) Movistar Team
61 Igor Boev (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
62 Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo
63 Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani CSF
64 Kenny Elissonde (Fra) FDJ
65 Pavel Brutt (Rus) Tinkoff Team
66 Koen Bouwman (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo
67 Fumiyuki Beppu (Jpn) Trek-Segafredo
68 Koen De Kort (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin
69 Jaroslaw Marycz (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
70 Lukasz Owsian (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
71 Moreno Hofland (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo
72 Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Tinkoff Team
73 Boy Van Poppel (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
74 Jack Haig (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange
75 Omar Fraile Matarranz (Spa) Dimension Data
76 Alexey Vermeulen (USA) Team LottoNl-Jumbo
77 Adam Stachowiak (Pol) Verva ActiveJet Pro Cycling Team
78 Jonas Koch (Ger) Verva ActiveJet Pro Cycling Team
79 Kamil Zielinski (Pol) Polish National Team
80 Michal Paluta (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
81 Sergey Nikolaev (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
82 Julien Berard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
83 Andre Fernando S. Martins Cardoso (Por) Cannondale-Drapac
84 Jacques Willem Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) Dimension Data
85 Enrico Battaglin (Ita) Team LottoNl-Jumbo
86 François Bidard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
87 Branislau Samoilau (Blr) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
88 Rein Taaramae (Est) Team Katusha
89 Karel Hnik (Cze) Verva ActiveJet Pro Cycling Team
90 Andrei Solomennikov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
91 Laurens De Plus (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step
92 Bert De Backer (Bel) Team Giant-Alpecin
93 Pawel Franczak (Pol) Verva ActiveJet Pro Cycling Team
94 Songezo Jim (RSA) Dimension Data
95 Peter Kennaugh (GBr) Team Sky
96 Yanto Barker (GBr) ONE Pro Cycling
97 Sergey Firsanov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
98 Toms Skujins (Lat) Cannondale-Drapac
99 Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
100 Zico Waeytens (Bel) Team Giant-Alpecin
DNF Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) ONE Pro Cycling
DNF Marcin Bialoblocki (Pol) ONE Pro Cycling
DNF Gracjan Szelag (Pol) Polish National Team
DNF Przemyslaw Kasperkiewicz (Pol) Polish National Team
DNF Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre - Merida
DNF Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Dimension Data
DNF Lukasz Wisniowski (Pol) Etixx - Quick-Step
DNF Andrey Amador Bikkazakova (CRc) Movistar Team
DNF Juraj Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff Team
DNF Lorenzo Rota (Ita) Bardiani CSF
DNF Murilo Antonio Fischer (Bra) FDJ
DNF Thomas Leezer (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo
DNF Niccolo Bonifazio (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Alessandro Tonelli (Ita) Bardiani CSF
DNF Enrico Barbin (Ita) Bardiani CSF
DNF Nicola Boem (Ita) Bardiani CSF
DNF Nicola Ruffoni (Ita) Bardiani CSF
DNF Peter Williams (GBr) ONE Pro Cycling
DNF James Oram (NZl) ONE Pro Cycling
DNF Chris Opie (GBr) ONE Pro Cycling
DNF Stephen Clancy (Irl) Team Novo Nordisk
DNF Christopher Williams (Aus) Team Novo Nordisk
DNF David Lozano Riba (Spa) Team Novo Nordisk
DNF Piotr Konwa (Pol) Polish National Team
DNF Szymon Rekita (Pol) Polish National Team
DNF Marc Fournier (Fra) FDJ
DNF Jhonatan Restrepo (Col) Team Katusha
DNF Max Walscheid (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin
DNF Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Orica-BikeExchange
DNF Loic Vliegen (Bel) BMC Racing Team
DNF Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team
DNF Mario Jorge Faria Da Costa (Por) Lampre - Merida
DNF Matt Brammeier (Irl) Dimension Data
DNF Adrien Niyonshuti (Rwa) Dimension Data
DNF Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) Dimension Data
DNF Bakhtiyar Kozhatayev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
DNF Ruslan Tleubayev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
DNF Pieter Serry (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step
DNF Davide Martinelli (Ita) Etixx - Quick-Step
DNF Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Col) Etixx - Quick-Step
DNF Yury Trofimov (Rus) Tinkoff Team
DNF Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Dariusz Batek (Pol) Polish National Team
DNF Matteo Pelucchi (Ita) IAM Cycling
DNF Jonathan Fumeaux (Swi) IAM Cycling
DNF Stefan Denifl (Aut) IAM Cycling
DNF Matej Mohoric (Slo) Lampre - Merida
DNF Marco Coledan (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Eugenio Alafaci (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange
DNF Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana Pro Team
DNF Roman Maikin (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
DNF Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Team Giant-Alpecin
DNF Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin
DNF Anton Vorobyev (Rus) Team Katusha
DNF Bob Jungels (Lux) Etixx - Quick-Step
DNF Roberto Ferrari (Ita) Lampre - Merida
DNF Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Nikolas Maes (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step
DNF Leopold Konig (Cze) Team Sky
DNF Johan Le Bon (Fra) FDJ
DNF Luka Mezgec (Slo) Orica-BikeExchange
DNF Karol Domagalski (Pol) ONE Pro Cycling
DNF Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Novo Nordisk
DNF Sacha Modolo (Ita) Lampre - Merida
DNF Alexander Kolobnev (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo
DNF Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky
DNF Sam Bewley (NZl) Orica-BikeExchange
DNF Heinrich Haussler (Aus) IAM Cycling
DNF Kamil Gradek (Pol) Verva ActiveJet Pro Cycling Team
DNF Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (Spa) Movistar Team
DNF Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu) FDJ
DNF Evgeny Petrov (Rus) Tinkoff Team
DNF Simon Spilak (Slo) Team Katusha
DNF Eros Capecchi (Ita) Astana Pro Team
DNF Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Astana Pro Team
DNF Yoann Offredo (Fra) FDJ
DNF Mitchell Docker (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange
DNF Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Danilo Wyss (Swi) BMC Racing Team
DNF Mateusz Taciak (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice
DNF Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Astana Pro Team
DNF Peter Velits (Svk) BMC Racing Team
DNF Stijn Devolder (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Tom Stamsnijder (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin
DNS Michael Woods (Can) Cannondale-Drapac
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