“I ended up on the ground, but overall, it went pretty well”: Torstein Traeen survives a late crash to retain the yellow jersey ahead of the Tourmalet
CyclingThursday, 09 July 2026 at 01:00
Torstein Traeen safely retained the yellow jersey after stage 5 of the Tour de France despite being caught up in a crash inside the final six kilometres, with the Uno-X Mobility rider emerging unscathed ahead of Thursday's decisive mountain stage.
The Norwegian enjoyed a relatively calm day as race leader while Olav Kooij sprinted to victory in Pau, but his afternoon briefly took a frightening turn when he was involved in a mass crash 5.2 kilometres from the finish. Fortunately for Traeen, he was able to remount quickly and finish with the main peloton, ensuring he didn't lose any time.
Falling down but staying in the lead
Traeen won the yellow jersey a day earlier by joining a long breakaway group that got a big lead on the way to Foix. Despite the crash, he reflected positively on his first day wearing cycling's most prestigious jersey.
"It was a good first day in the yellow jersey," Traeen said after the race. "I don't know (what happened); there was a crash and I ended up on the ground, but overall, it went pretty well. It was a beautiful day, I really enjoyed it, we were able to have fun and a relaxing day."
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While Traeen still leads the overall classification by 7:53 over the main favourites, he knows his biggest challenge comes on stage 6, which features the Col d'Aspin and the legendary Col du Tourmalet.
"I'm just thinking about racing day by day and then we'll see. If you have good legs, you have to try and see how far you can push yourself."
Torstein Traeen after stage 5 of the Tour de France 2026
Will Traeen retain the yellow jersey on Thursday?
Asked about facing Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard in the high mountains and whether he believes he can keep the yellow jersey, Traeen admitted he has every reason to be concerned.
"Of course I'm afraid of it. We know Pogacar is Pogacar... if you try to keep up with him, you'll probably drop out."
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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