Thrills, Spills, and Broken Bikes
Stage 5 brought many changes to the bike class as the title for this post tells us. Ok, there are definitely thrills in every stage so the spills and broken bikes are the news in this one. Perhaps the biggest news, and very disappointing to French fans, is that David Casteu is not only out of contention for the win but out of the rally for good. Casteu, who was leading all bikes in the overall standings, had a crash that resulted in a severe leg injury. Medics whisked him away ending his bid for the win. It was said to be a bad spill. So, that leaves us with broken bikes. The rider that led all bikes out of Capiapo, Mark Coma, experienced a breakdown that brought him across the line 39′35″ behind stage winner Lopez Contardo. This puts Coma in 8th position in the overall standings.
American rider Jonah Street finds himself in 7th position 1h12′46′ off the leaders pace while Boinnard sits in 58th position 7h04′51″ behind first position. Annie Seel continues to lead the ladies completing stage 5 in 61st position placing her 47th in the overall standings.
Stage 6 will take the riders from Antofagasta to Iquique which has a 418 km timed special. The riders will have two opportunities to fuel along the way and the terrain should lend to very fast speeds and some great times. We will see what happens tomorrow!