Simon Clarke wins stage five as Tadej Pogacar throws down gauntlet

PHOTO FINISH: Stage winner Australia's Simon Clarke, right, sprints towards the finish line ahead of Netherlands' Taco van der Hoorn, left, during the fifth stage of the Tour de France. Pic: AP Photo/Daniel Cole

Simon Clarke won stage five of the Tour de France in a photo finish in Arenberg as defending champion Tadej Pogacar took a big step towards a third straight title on a bad day for the Jumbo-Visma team of race leader Wout van Aert and Primoz Roglic.

The cobbled stage of northern France had a huge say in the general classification battle as Roglic crashed on a roundabout, his team-mate Jonas Vingegaard suffered a costly puncture, and the likes of Geraint Thomas and Adam Yates were caught up in the chaos to lose time.