team Columbia, with perfect organization, kept all their riders at the front to push the pace, while other teams could only keep one or two leadout riders and a sprinter within striking distance.
When Cavendish made his move at 300 meters, there was only Thor Hushovd near him, and Hushovd couldn’t catch him. Veteran Erik Zabel and sprint star Oscar Friere came close, but Cavendish had the legs and the heart, and took the win.
Another Stage for Sprinters
Stage Five was another stage tailor-made for a big sprint finish. The stage, the longest of the Tour at 232 km, was almost completely flat, with just a few small climbs spread out through the course, and a flat finish. The final fifty km sloped gently uphill, but the final kilometer had just a few undulations.
The sky was clear, the wind was light, and finally there seemed to be no obstacles preventing the sprinters from finally having a stage to showcase their specialty.
After being frustrated in Stage Two and left behind in Stage Three, it was almost certain that the sprinters would keep any breakaways in sight; the chance of a break surviving seemed nearly nil.
Ina sad note, 2007 King of the Mountains Juan Mauricio Soler, who crashed and fractured his wrist in Stage One, crashed again in the neutral zone (the warm-up section at the start of the race.) Though Soler was able to remount, he soon parked and withdrew from the Tour.
