The general classification managed to occupy little or no bandwidth to the world of pro cycling at the end of stage 5 when Mark Cavendish made history with a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win.
For the major players in the general classification, the stage was incident-free and insulated even further from risk by the GC times being neutralised 4km out from the finish rather than 3km as part of the UCI’s modified ‘sprint zone rule’ from which GC times are neutralised.
As a result, there was no change whatsoever to the top 10 in the overall standings compared to stage 4, where the Tour’s first clear hierarchy was established.
A day earlier, on stage 4, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) moved back into the yellow leader's jersey after the first major mountain test at the Tour de France.
Pogačar attacked his biggest rivals near the summit of the day's final climb over the Col du Galibier and went on to secure a solo win in Valloire, returning into the lead of the GC Standings.
The ascent would prove to be the most decisive moment of the stage 139.6km, clearly showing who was in form and who struggled to hold the fast pace set by Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates to reduce the lead group to a selection of just eight contenders.
Pogačar leads the overall classification by 45 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep).
Vingegaard is in third place overall at 50 seconds back. He was the only rider who could initially match Pogačar on the climb up Galibier on stage 4, but he was distanced over the top.
Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) finished in the select chase group on stage 4 and moved up 15 places in the GC Standings. He is now positioned 1:10 behind overall leader Pogačar in fourth.
Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) struggled on the Col du Galibier, yo-yo-ing off the back of the main contenders' group until he was distanced over the top. He managed to power back into the main chase group on the descent and moved up into fifth overall, and is 1:14 back.
Carlos Rodríguez, Ineos Grenaiers' sole survivor up front on the Galibier on stage 4 is in sixth place overall at 1:16 back.
Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) is in seventh place overall at 1:32 back. João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), one of Pogačar's biggest supporters on the climbs, is now in eighth place at the same time as Landa.
Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) is in ninth place at 3:20 back, while Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) rounds out the top 10 at 3:21 back.
The next test of the GC riders will come on stage 7 with the 25.3km individual time trial from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin, where the order of the top 10 is likely to be rewritten altogether.
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Tour de France 2024 GC standings
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Tour de France 2024 classifications
Here's a rundown of all the ongoing competitions at the Tour de France. Click here for a more comprehensive explainer, including minor competitions such as the intermediate sprints prize and the fighting spirit prize. Speaking of prizes, click here to find out how much the riders can win during the Tour de France.
Yellow Jersey/Maillot Jaune – The yellow jersey is worn by the overall race leader on the general classification who has completed the stages so far in the lowest accumulated time.
Green Jersey – The green jersey is the points classification. Riders accrue points at one of the two intermediate sprints during stages and also at stage finishes, and the man with the most points leads the ranking.
Polka Dot Jersey – The red and white polka dot jersey is the mountain classification. Points are handed out to the first riders over certain hills and climbs during the Tour de France, with the hardest mountains giving the most points. Once again, the man with the most points leads the ranking.
White jersey – The white jersey is the best young rider classification. It works the same way as the yellow jersey, but only riders aged 25 or under are eligible to win.
