Boonen holds on to yellow jersey

CAEN, France – Tom Boonen built his overall lead in the Tour de France by finishing second in the fifth stage Thursday, although the Belgian world champion is feeling the strain of wearing the yellow jersey.

He was runner-up to Spain’s Oscar Freire, the three-time former world champion who prevailed in a closing sprint.

Boonen increased his lead by earning bonus time, and he will be the front-runner for the third straight day during today’s sixth stage. But the yellow jersey, he said, felt “more heavy” because “I’m not supposed to wear it.”

Freire also benefited from bonus time, jumping from 20th to third overall. World time-trial champion Michael Rogers of Australia is still second, 13 seconds behind Boonen, with Freire another four seconds back. George Hincapie of the United States slipped from third to fourth, also 17 seconds behind Boonen.

Freire, of the Rabobank squad, accelerated sharply in the last 300 yards, sprinting up the right side of the finishing straightaway for his second stage victory in three Tours.

All 172 remaining riders started the mostly flat, 140-mile route from Beauvais, north of Paris. There were several crashes along the route, but all riders finished. After several hot days of racing, the weather cooled slightly, with rain on the route.

Inaki Isasi of the Basque team Euskaltel placed third in the sprint finish at the Normandy town of Caen. Australia’s Robbie McEwen, winner of two stages this Tour and 10 overall, was fifth.