Stage 5 Pick

What a hectic finish for Stage 4. Glad for Hushovd to get on the top step for the first time this year. Also glad my pick, Oscar Freire, got a podium spot. Good on Robbie Hunter for his consistency. Now, back to business:

Who: George Hincapie
Why: The stage has 8 categorized climbs (4xCat4 3xCat3 1xCat2), very nearly assuring a break will stay away. CSC looks ripe to hand off the jersey after doing a lot of tempo work (unnecessarily, in my opinion) early in the week. Hincapie is a man for the classics-type stages and Bruyneel has shown time and again that, without Armstrong, he's about as effective as a chicken with its head cut off when trying to organize a GC-centric team. Look for Hincapie to be part of a 10+ man breakaway and unleash his halfway-decent sprint in the finish.