"I went for the polka dot jersey, so that I wouldn't be empty-handed at the end" - a consolidation prize for Felix Gall after a brave ride at Stage 5

Felix Gall seemed to have a chance to take the stage victory in Laruns for a long time on Wednesday, but in the end had to let go of Jai Hindley. The AG2R Citroën Team rider at least becomes the new wearer of the polka dot jersey in the Tour de France.

"I'm especially happy that I'm feeling well again, after some worse first days," the Austrian climber said through his team's channels. Gall lost more than five minutes in the second stage and therefore had to change his plans. "The polka dot jersey was not originally the goal in today's stage, but we got ahead with a large group. There were also some GC riders, so I was surprised that we got such a big gap."

"That was also the reason I went for the polka dot jersey, so that I wouldn't be empty-handed at the end," he said. "In the end it didn't take much effort, so I'm happy with how it went today."

"No, it was not possible to win the stage. I was completely broken on the last climb. I was initially able to go with Jai, but eventually had to switch to my own pace. From that moment on it was a matter of getting to the finish line as well as possible."