Greipel wins 5th stage of Tour de France

By Jamey Keaten

Associated Press

Published: Thursday, July 5 2012 11:05 p.m. MDT

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Andre Greipel of Germany crosses the finish line ahead of Mark Cavendish of Britain, left, and Matthew Harley Gross of Australia, right, to win the fifth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 196.5 kilometers (122 miles) with start in Rouen and finish in Saint-Quentin, France, Thursday July 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Associated Press

Summary

In yet another crash-marred finish, Andre Greipel of Germany led a frenzied bunch sprint to win the fifth stage of the Tour de France on Thursday for his second straight stage victory.

SAINT-QUENTIN, France — In yet another crash-marred finish, Andre Greipel of Germany led a frenzied bunch sprint to win the fifth stage of the Tour de France on Thursday for his second straight stage victory.

Fabian Cancellara retained the overall leader's yellow jersey for a sixth straight day after the mostly flat 122-mile trek from Rouen to Saint-Quentin — almost tailor-made for sprinters except for a slight uphill near the end.

But the Tour's doping demons returned to cast a shadow. A Dutch newspaper report said former teammates of Lance Armstrong — including five involved in this year's race — cut a deal with U.S. anti-doping officials for their testimony in a case against the seven-time Tour champion. As usual, the Tour riders tried to keep their focus on the race.

Citing "well-informed sources," the newspaper said the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has given six-month bans to former Armstrong teammates Jonathan Vaughters, George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer, David Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde.

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