Tour de France 2019: Route Location, TV Schedule and Live Stream for Stage 5

Deceuninck-QuickStep's Julian Alaphilippe remains at the top of the general classification of the 2019 Tour de France heading into Wednesday's fifth stage, which runs from Saint-Die-des-Vosges to Colmar.

The stage will be the most testing so far for the riders who face four climbs over the 175.5 kilometre route before finishing off with a fast and flat run to the finish line.

The Tour provided a guide of Wednesday's stage:

Date: Wednesday, July 10

Time: 1:25 p.m. local, 12:25 p.m. BST, 7:25 a.m. ET

Route: Saint-Die-des-Vosges to Colmar, France 

TV: Eurosport 1, ITV 4, NBC

Stream: Eurosport Player, ITV Hub, NBC Sports

Stage 5 Preview

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Belgian team Deceuninck-QuickStep have enjoyed a fine start to the Tour de France. Alaphilippe has the yellow jersey, while team-mate Elia Viviani won Stage 4 on Tuesday.

Alaphilippe knows what to expect from Stage 5 as the riders encounter the first testing climbs of the 2019 Tour, and he is in no mood to relinquish top spot, per the official Tour de France website.

"Tomorrow it will be harder. For sure, we will continue to defend the jersey," he said. "If I lose it, it'll mean someone will beat us, but I won't give up."

Wednesday's stage is shorter and features steep climbs and treacherous descents, which means it would be no surprise to see a breakaway win the stage.

Cycling journalist Will Newton says such a scenario is likely to tempt riders:

The stage may suit Tim Wellens, who is the current King of the Mountains and may be keen to extend his lead over Xando Meurisse and Greg van Avermaet:

The hills mean it will be a good day for attacking, and the action is likely to hot up over the stage's final two climbs over the Cote des Trois Epis and the Cote des Cinqs-Chateaux.

Riders will need to blend strong climbing with skilful descents and find a fast finish into the pretty town of Colmar if they are to scoop victory on Wednesday.

The general classification contenders are expected to hold back ahead of a tough day through the Vosges in Stage 6, which offers the opportunity to really make a mark on this year's race.