Australian cyclist wins Tour de France's 5th stage

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Australian cyclist Simon Clarke won the fifth stage of the 2022 Tour de France on Wednesday.

Clarke, 35, who rides for the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team, finished the 157-kilometer (97.5-mile) Stage 5 with a time of three hours, 13 minutes and 35 seconds.

"Australia's Simon Clarke claimed his maiden Tour de France stage victory as the early breakaway remained at the front," the organizers said on their website.

The hilly stage was held between Lille Métropole and Arenberg Porte du Hainaut.

Clarke beat Taco van der Hoorn, who rides for the Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux team, with the Dutch cyclist finishing second Wednesday.

TotalEnergies' Edvald Boasson Hagen from Norway came in third.

Belgian cyclist Wout van Aert, who is riding for the Jumbo-Visma team, kept his yellow jersey as he is currently leading the Tour de France's general ranking with 16 hours, 17 minutes and 22 seconds.

Stage 6 will be held Thursday, beginning in Binche, Belgium and ending in Longwy, France.

The length of the hilly track will be nearly 220 kilometers (136.7 miles).

This year's tour includes 21 stages, and the major cycling contest will end on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées in Paris on July 24.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​