The wind and the rain were the companions of the riders in the 5th stage of the Tour de France.

The race started under the rain and for most of the 189,5 km the crosswind represented a danger for the bunch, causing many crashes.

Lampre-Merida's riders were only involved only in the last accident, which occurred with 25 km to go: Cimolai and Pozzato, who were riding in the front group supporting Rui Costa, were hit by the bikes of other riders who slipped on the wet road.

Cimolai succeded in getting back on his bike immediately and he made an impressive comeback which allowed him to rejoin the front group: he took part in the final sprint, obtaining 9th place.

Pozzato was not so lucky: he hit the right leg and had to wait longer.

"Despite having been involved in the crash at 25 km to go, I succeded in taking part in the sprint and obtaining a place in the top ten," Cimolai explained. "‎I was just behind Kristoff, but the fight for the best positions was very hard and I missed the energy I spent chasing the front group after the crash. The top ten in the Tour de France is always something good, but I want more and tomorrow I'll be ready for another battle."

Rui Costa said that: "It could have been the first simple stage in this Tour de France, but when we saw the weather forecasts we understood that it would be a very hard day.

"I'm happy because I avoided all the crashes, but it's not good to race these demanding stages after the crash I had last Monday."