Pozzato wins fifth stage as Vinokourov suffers blow

FILIPPO POZZATO won the fifth stage of the Tour de France on a photo finish, while favourite Alexandre Vinokourov lost significant time after crashing.

Rabobank rider Oscar Freire had led the way in the final sprint but Liquigas' Pozzato came through to beat him by a fraction for his second Tour de France stage win.

Daniele Bennati was third, while Vinokourov finished 82 seconds behind after taking a painful tumble at around 30km from the end in which he cut open his leg.

Fabian Cancellara, who maintains the yellow jersey after coming 12th, had threatened a spectacular finish when he attempted to go out on his own with around 3km to go, but he lost ground when he ran off the road on a tight turn.

Pozzato's win took him up to third in the overall standings, Andreas Kloden overtaking Wednesday's winner Thor Hushovd into second, while Scotland's David Millar stayed fourth. Compatriot Bradley Wiggins tumbled out of the top 10 and lost 99 places in the rankings after coming in almost five minutes back.