"All hell will break loose at the start" - Adam Yates predicting big fight to get in the breakaway on stage 5 of the Tour de France

After a very leg-sapping opening weekend, the past two quieter and calmer stages of the 2023 Tour de France will have come as a great relief to Adam Yates and the rest of the GC riders. For stage 5 though, Yates is predicting another tough day.

"Today was quite straightforward until the finale," the current leader of the Tour de France recapped post-stage. "Nobody wanted to go in the breakaway. The sprinters were happy to stay in the bunch, but the end was tricky, with all those crashes."

Numerous riders hit the deck in the finale of stage 4 before Jasper Philipsen took his second straight victory. On stage 5 though, Yates is predicting numerous riders to want to make the break, leading to an intense battle in the early portion of the day.

"We'll see how it plays out tomorrow. I think it's the very first chance for a breakaway, so all hell will break loose at the start," he continues. "Then, there are the bonuses on the last climb, so it's going to be a bit difficult for me [to keep the yellow jersey]. But we're lucky to have Tadej Pogacar on our team! We'll see tomorrow."