Jake Stewart Claims Victory in Dauphine Stage Five Amidst Evenepoel Crash Drama

Jake Stewart of Israel-Premier Tech clinched his maiden World Tour victory in a thrilling bunch sprint during stage five of the Criterium du Dauphine. Stewart outpaced the stage favorite, Jonathan Milan of Lidl-Trek, by initiating his sprint early and capitalizing on a tailwind to cross the finish line in Macon after a grueling 183km stage.

Remco Evenepoel, the overall race leader from Soudal-Quick Step, encountered a dramatic crash within the final 500 meters, tearing the material on his yellow jersey. Despite the incident, Evenepoel emerged unscathed and continued the race, later confirming that he sustained only minor scratches. Thanks to the newly introduced 5km rule, which ensures all riders receive the same time in the event of a crash within the designated distance, Evenepoel retained his overall lead.

Stewart expressed his elation post-race, stating, "That feels good. It's such a shame Pascal Ackermann (his teammate) crashed earlier in the stage and had to abandon, but they handed over to me. The team and the boys backed me, and I'm so happy I could finish it off for them."

When questioned about his prototype bike, which has garnered attention for its aerodynamic front fork design, Stewart remained tight-lipped, saying, "I'm not allowed to say too much about that."

The Criterium du Dauphine, held in the south-east region of France, serves as a traditional precursor to the Tour de France. Historically, only four times in the past decade has the overall Dauphine winner gone on to triumph in the Tour.

The race now heads into the high mountains of the French Alps, with Friday's 126.7km stage to Combloux expected to test the riders' endurance. Saturday's stage promises explosive action, featuring three hors category climbs en route to Valmeinier.