Top Two Riders From Swiss Squad Injured as Pozzato Takes 5th Stage

AUTUN, France — Team Astana missed last year's Tour de France over a doping probe. Now, its star riders have another problem: crashes on the course.

The Swiss squad's top two title contenders, Alexandre Vinokourov and Andreas Kloeden, were injured in separate spills in the bumpy fifth stage yesterday through the Burgundy wine-making region. It wasn't clear whether either man would take the start Friday.

Italy's Filippo Pozzato won a sprint at the end of the 113-mile trek from Chablis to Autun, and Fabian Cancellara of Team CSC retained the race leader's yellow jersey for a sixth day.

Even if Vinokourov and Kloeden join the pack for Friday's mostly flat 124-mile ride from Semur-en-Auxois to Bourg-en-Bresse, the injuries could make them vulnerable — and shake up the cast of race favorites.

Their woes could give an opening to prospective contenders like American Levi Leipheimer, Australia's Cadel Evans, Spaniards Alejandro Valverde and Oscar Pereiro, and Denis Menchov of Russia. Vinokourov, seen by many as the man to beat in this year's Tour, tumbled off his bike with 15 miles left and had deep cuts in his knees. The Kazakh rider finished the stage 1:20 behind Cancellara, dropping to 81st place, 2:10 off the leader's pace.