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Australian rider took an emotional stage win Wednesday, months after Israel-Premier Tech handed him a lifeline contract.
The 35-year-old won stage five of the Tour de France from the day’s early break.
went close to losing the race leader鈥檚 yellow jersey to American rider (EF Education-EasyPost), a feat that would have marked the first US rider in the maillot jaune since 2006.
Van Aert crashed during a chaotic stage and was then forced to drop back to help his Jumbo-Visma team after was delayed. Another key rider from the team, , crashed and lost time, while Ben O鈥機onnor (Ag2r Citro毛n) finished even further back after suffering mechanical issues early on.
In contrast, defending Tour champion (UAE Team Emirates) rode prominently during the stage and gained time on all of his rivals in the general classification
Check out Wednesday鈥檚 dramatic action on the cobbles in this highlights package