Bauhaus takes Dauphine stage 5, De Gendt retains lead before the mountains

PARIS (Reuters) - German Phil Bauhaus on Thursday won the fifth stage of the Criterium du Dauphine, a 175.5-km ride from La Tour de Salvagny to Macon that runs through the Beaujolais vineyards.

The team Sunweb rider outsprinted Frenchmen Arnaud Demare (FDJ) and Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie).

Belgian Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.

Friday's sixth stage should see the top contenders battle it out in the mountains as it takes the peloton from Villars les Dombes to La Motte Servolex through the Mont du Chat, a punishing 8.7-km climb at an average gradient of 10.3 per cent.

The ascent also features on the route of the Tour de France, which starts from Duesseldorf, Germany, on July 1.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Gareth Jones)