Tour de France contender Alexander Vinokourov played domestique to Antonio Colom on Friday, helping his Kazakhstan-based Astana teammate over a steep climb and the finish line in Digne-les-Bains.
Another Astana cyclist, Andrey Kashechkin, finished in the main group to retain his overall lead in the 8-day Dauphiné Libéré, considered a prep for next month's Tour de France.
Colom didn't get a free ride to the finish line. The Spanish cyclist worked as part of a breakaway that led during most of the 120-mile Stage 5 that began in Nyons. That group began to break up, however, when he attacked on the slopes of the Col de Corobin.
Vinokourov, winner of Wednesday's time trial, was able to bridge across to him, pull him over the col, and the two worked in tandem the rest of the way to the finish.
Kashechkin's overall lead is tenuous as the peloton faces another 120-plus mile stage on Saturday. The cyclists will make 7 climbs, including the Col de la Croix de Fer, before finishing just after the Col du Telegraphe.
Only 25 seconds separate the top 5 cyclists; Christophe Moreau (14 seconds, AG2R), Denis Menchov (25 seconds, Rabobank), Cadel Evans (26 seconds, Predictor-Lotto) and the US's David Zabriskie (26 seconds, Team CSC).
Also in the hunt could be another American cyclist, Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel) who sits in 6th place at 53 seconds behind. He won the Dauphiné Libéré last year, but admitted that the strain may have depleted some of his reserves for the Tour de France.
Leipheimer and Zabriskie have been in the top 10 throughout the race, starting with the short prologue on Sunday. Discovery Channel's George Hincapie was in that top 10 until Wednesday's time trial and lost 22 minutes on Thursday's Mont Ventoux stage.
Another American cyclist, Bobby Julich of Team CSC, has dropped out.
Full results and standings at CyclingNews and VeloNews.
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