Tinkoff-Saxo’s Manuele Boaro had to see the GC-lead slip away on the final day of Circuit de la Sarthe as he dropped his chain in both intermediate sprints of the stage 5 finale. After winning the queen stage yesterday, it was naturally a heavy blow for Boaro and the entire team who, according to DS Nicki Sørensen, had put in a dedicated effort throughout the race. 
 
Manuele Boaro finishes 2nd in Circuit de la Sarthe, just 1 second behind race winner Ramunas Navardauskas (TCG), who gained six seconds through intermediate bonification – just enough to secure the win. Sports director Nicki Sørensen admits that the stage had been a proper anticlimax.
 
“We are naturally very disappointed today after the stage. Navardauskas was strong and took both bonus sprints and enough seconds to take the lead. It was really close and Manuele has been very strong. Unfortunately, Manuele incurred two mechanical failures involving his chain coming off the chainrings in the middle of both sprints for bonus seconds. This ultimately meant that he had to change bike, but by then the party was over. Fortunately, he managed to get back in the peloton and didn’t lose additional time”, explains Nicki Sørensen.

The 187.5km stage 5 to Le Lude, which was won by Nacer Bouhanni (COF), marked the ultimate day of racing in Sarthe. And despite having to settle for second in the GC, Nicki Sørensen underlines that he’s utmost satisfied with the team performance displayed by Tinkoff-Saxo.
 
“I dare to say the guys did a fantastic job. They’ve been professional and committed and I cannot put a finger on their effort. They’ve supported first Valgren and Boaro and then later on Boaro in our attempt to win a stage, which we did, and in our effort to secure the lead. Today, they fought throughout the stage and they can be proud”, says Nicki Sørensen.

Going into the final part of the stage, Jay McCarthy, who led the youth classification, was disqualified alongside Anthony Roux (FDJ) for what appears to have been pushing and shoving at the front of the peloton during a fight for positioning. Nicki Sørensen notes that the team respects the ruling of the commissaries.
 
“Firstly, I’m very satisfied with Jay’s performance during la Sarthe. He has shown dedication and willpower during the race. Then, of course, he should have kept a cool head in this situation. We don’t necessarily agree with the ruling of the commissaries but we have to respect their decision, as rules are rules and it’s up to them to choose the correct measures”, finishes Nicki Sørensen.