PERPIGNAN - THE teams of Tour de France contenders Cadel Evans and Denis Menchov suffered further setbacks during the race's fifth stage on Wednesday.

Evans' teammate Staf Schierlinckx crashed into a ditch next to Frenchman Stephane Auge near the 100km mark, both riders getting back on their bikes to continue.

Barely a minute later Australian Matthew Lloyd, who is set to help Evans in the upcoming mountains stages, flirted with disaster when he came down near an intermediate sprint next to Austrian Bernhard Eisel of Columbia.

On the descent of the Cote de Treilles, as the peloton upped the pace in chase of a six-man breakaway, Dutchman Robert Gesink crashed and appeared to have injured his arm or shoulder.

Hurt, but getting back on his bike, two of Gesink's Rabobank's teammates slowed to help him get back to the peloton, which minutes later made their job even harder by forcing an echelon.

Gesink had blood dripping from both his arm and leg and appeared to be struggling to hold the left side of his handelbars as the pace of the chasing peloton split the bunch into several sections.

Rabobank team leader Denis Menchov, the recent Tour of Italy winner, slumped to nearly four minutes behind race leader Fabian Cancellara, and second placed Lance Armstrong, after the team time trial on Tuesday. -- AFP