Stage 5: Lannemezan - Pau Predictions & Betting tips - Tour de France

Prediction published on 7/8/26, 7:13 AM  by Tyler Doty | Modified on 8/4/26 at 3:26 AM

We had to wait until Stage 5 on Wednesday, July 8, to see a stage likely to crown a sprinter on the roads of the 2026 Tour de France. On the eve of a major mountain stage, the riders will race from Lannemezan to Pau over a distance of 158.3 km (98 miles). Stage 5: Lannemezan – Pau.

The sprinters will finally have the chance to prove themselves this Wednesday, and there’s no doubt that the teams will control the race and the breakaways to make sure they don’t let this opportunity slip away.

Already a three-time stage winner in his Tour de France career, Tim Merlier dreams of claiming another victory in Pau. The Belgian trained hard in May, securing three wins at the Tour of Hungary, and arrives with the Soudal Quick-Step team at his service.

At 28, Jasper Philipsen is one of the riders in this year’s Tour de France who has won the most stages in the race (10). The Belgian has been biding his time during the opening days and is ready for this first key stage. The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider will clearly be one of the top favorites for this fourth stage.

Behind these two favorites, several sprinters will be looking to make their move, including Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling Team), Stage 4 winner Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), who has shown he’s in top form early in this Tour de France, and Max Kanter (XDS Astana Team).