Andre Greipel timed his speed to perfection to win stage five of the Tour de France in Amiens on Wednesday, and the German’s Strava stats show just how good he was in the closing stages.
‘The Gorilla’, racing for Lotto-Soudal in the Tour’s green jersey, came from behind to speed past Mark Cavendish, Alexander Kristoff and Arnaud Démare in the final 100 metres, topping out at 43.4mph.
Cavendish and the others couldn’t match Greipel’s burst of speed, with the Manxman admitting the German was the better rider on the day.
Completing the 194km stage in an average of a casual 39kph, Greipel topped out at over 85kph at one stage, according to his computer’s stats. That speed came mid-race, however, on a descent, but his final sprint speed is still mighty impressive.
While those riders on the front of the peloton, and those supporting Greipel, may have been higher, Greipel had an average cadence of 78rpm over the course of the stage.
Of course, being sheltered in a group helps reduce the effort, but Greipel rose to the challenge when required, turning the pedals at 113rpm in the final sprint to get up to speed and sail across the line.
The win gives the German a solid lead in the green jersey competition, leading Peter Sagan by over 30 points, with Cavendish 65 points down.
Watch highlights from stage five of the Tour de France
