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Tour de France 2014: stage five – five observations

Vincenzo Nibali proves his class as the cobbles provide enthralling drama

It was the outcome Sir Dave Brailsford did not want above all others. The early abandonment of team leader and defending champion Chris Froome has drawn the inevitable criticisms about building a squad solely around the 29-year-old.

Geraint Thomas leads Richie Porte, who also suffered a crash, on to the final section of cobbles as the two looked to put time into Alberto Contador and claw back Vincenzo Nibali’s advantage (pic: Bruno Bade/ASO)

Should 2012 champion Sir Bradley Wiggins have been included? Why did in-form British champion Peter Kennaugh – currently rubbishing claims he was out of touch by leading the Tour of Austria – miss out?

Claims Team Sky do not have a plan B, however, are unfair – with Australian Richie Porte now stepping up to lead the British team.

But for illness Porte would have led the team’s GC challenge at the Giro d’Italia – and the same illnesses cost him a tilt at Tirreno-Adriatico when he was well-placed overall.

Had Wiggins been included, he would now be riding in the service of Porte – and probably be well down overall unless he had broken the habit of a lifetime and excelled in the wet on stage five.

Team Sky are still well-equipped to get something from this Tour – in Porte, Geraint Thomas and Mikel Nieve, Sky still have a formidable line-up for the mountains, and David Lopez, Xabier Zandio, Danny Pate and Vasili Kiryienka are hardly mugs themselves.

The yellow jersey, you would imagine, will be a step too far but a podium place for Porte on his first big chance to shine as team leader, would still be an achievement worth applauding.

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