Roman Kreuziger - Team Liquigas

The only problem was the heat

Thu July 8, 2010, 18:51

Scorching heat, bunch sprint for Cavendish and no changes in the GC. That was the fifth stage of the Tour in which Roman crossed the finish line in the main group.

"At the 15 kilometer mark a group broke away and created a gap of up to 8 minutes at the end. The Columbia guys were pulling almost all day long, Cervélo and Lampre pitched in towards the stage’s end. The stage was quite easy, except for the last 5 hard kilometers because of the narrow roads and roundabouts. Luckily, nobody crashed but it was close," Roman described. 
The scorching heat was a real trouble for the riders. "The temperature was reaching 39 degrees in the sun so we had to drink much more than usual but conditions were the same for everyone. The Tour happens in July so nobody can expect 20 degrees," said the Liquigas rider. 
"I was feeling good, my knee is not painful anymore and our team appears compact. None of us rushed to be in the bunch sprint. The most important thing for me and Basso is to arrive at the mountains as fresh as possible. The last two days were tranquil so we had a chance to recover a bit. Today’s stage is really long, almost 240 kilometers including the transfer. On top of that, it is more hilly so a breakaway may stand a chance. We will see," added Roman who wished the victory to Cavendish. "He is not as strong as last year but this win is sure to help him boost his self-confidence, so my congratulation to him is in place." 
 
5th stage (187.5 km): 1st Cavendish (GBr/HTC-Columbia) 4:30:50, 2nd Ciolek (Ger/Milram), 3rd Boasson Hagen (Nor/Sky), 4th Rojas (Spa/Caisse d Epargne), 5th Husvohvd (Nor/Cervélo), 6 Turgot (Fra/Bouygues Telecom), ... 47th Roman Kreuziger (CZE/Liquigas).  
Overall: 1st Cancellara (Swi/Saxo Bank) 22:59:45, 2nd Thomas (GBr/Sky) +23, 3rd Evans (Aus/BMC) +39, 4th Hesjedal (Can/Garmin) +46, 5th Chavanel (Fra/Quick Step) +1:01, 6th A. Schleck (Lux/Saxo Bank) +1:09, ... 16th Roman Kreuziger +2:24.

This article is also translated :
Jediným problémem bylo vedro