2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Stage 5 Results & Recap
Stage 5 of the 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Wout van Aert (TVL) bagged his first victory since Paris-Roubaix when he showed a clean pair of heels to his sprint rivals in the bunch finish at Villars les Dombes. The fast-finishing Hugo Hofstetter (NSN) was second behind the Belgian, with Phil Bauhaus (TBV) third.
There was no change in the top 10 on GC ahead of the three final stages in the high Alps.
This always looked like the one nailed-on bunch sprint stage in this race, but that didn't stop a clutch of riders from launching a break almost right from the start. Pepijn Reinderink (SOQ) instigated the move, and the Dutchman was rapidly joined by Robbe Dhondt (TPP), Thibault Guernalec (TEN), Julen Arriola-Bengoa (CJR), Hugo Houle (APT) and Felix Engelhardt (JAY).
The peloton didn't give them much leeway through the early undulations. In fact, at one point their lead was cut to less than 20 seconds. However, they gradually pushed their advantage out to almost two-and-a-half minutes.
The sprint teams monitored them closely, Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Cofidis particularly prominent. They then chipped away at the break's lead on the flat roads in the stage's final third, making the catch with a 12km remaining.
From that point, Team Visma | Lease a Bike stayed in position on the right-hand side of the road, five riders working to keep Van Aert out of the headwind in the closing kilometers.
Approaching the kilometer banner, Bruno Armirail (TVL) made a powerful pull that helped get Edoardo Affini (TVL) into position to lead out Van Aert.
As riders began to come from behind, French champion Dorian Godon (NCI) the most eager, Van Aert stayed out of the wind. When he finally emerged and opened his sprint, there were little more than 100 meters to the line and the Belgian never looked like being beaten.
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