Chaos stage at the Andalucia Bike Race
As with the previous stages, there are also problems with the signposting of the route on the fifth stage. This proved fatal for the winning duo of the fourth stage. After a defect, Robert Mennen (GER) and Kristian Hynek (CZE) fall back and miss the race route as they continue their journey. When they find their way back, the two are in the lead and reach the finish line first, but are then given a time penalty by the jury, which is equivalent to 14th place. This means that victory goes to Markus Kaufmann and Jochen Käss, who were riding regularly. Second place went to Bartlomiej Wawak and Adrian Brzozka from Poland. Spaniards Alejandro Diaz de la Peña and Pedro Romero Ocampo take third place. According to the Swiss riders, this also happened to other teams. Mathias Flückiger and Matthias Stirnemann are well in the race, but are deprived of a possible podium place by the alleged shortcuts. Flückiger and Stirnemann, who are using the stage race as preparation for the season, are classified fifth after the ranking correction.
In the overall classification, Kaufmann and Käss extend their lead. Mennen and Hynek, who were previously in second place, slip to fourth place due to the 20-minute time penalty. Mathias Flückiger and Matthias Stirnemann are still in fifth place, but only around 30 seconds behind third place.Milena Landtwing and Philipp Gerber string together victory after victory. They are almost two hours ahead in the overall standings and have the overall victory all but in the bag.
The sixth and final stage with start and finish in Córdoba is topographically less demanding than the previous stages. However, the almost 60 kilometers and almost 1,200 meters in altitude are likely to be tough again. The chaos that arose on stage five has opened up new opportunities for some teams, which they will want to take advantage of.
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