REIMS: Australian Richie Porte said he is happy to be underestimated as a contender for the Tour de France after assuming team leadership from Britain's defending champion Chris Froome who abandoned the race during Wednesday’s fifth stage.

“I mean, I think I’m flying under the radar which is just fine. I am in good form. I’m looking forward to hitting the mountains,” Porte said before Thursday’s 194km sixth stage from Arras to Reims.

The stage was won in a bunch sprint by German champion Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) from Norwegian Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) and Frenchman Samuel Dumoulin (Ag2r).

Australian Mark Renshaw (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) finished fourth on the stage, the day after an impressive ride in stage five.

Italian Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) still leads the Tour overall by two seconds from Danish teammate Jakob Fuglsang and 44 secs on Slovakian Peter Sagan (Cannondale); while Porte (Sky) is in eighth position overall at 1minutes 54 seconds.

Before the stage, Porte said he met with Froome - who he had been sharing a room with on the Tour - before the Briton left the team on Wednesday night to return to his home in Monaco.

Porte said he had been buoyed by Froome’s confidence in him to be able to produce his best in the Tour.

“I saw him yesterday. Despite the circumstances [of Froome's withdrawal from the Tour] he was quite upbeat,” Porte said.

“Sometimes I think he’s got more belief in me than I do myself.

“It’s sad to see him go, but you know it’s a big opportunity for me.

“And we do have a great team here so I’m looking forward to stepping up. “

Asked what he spoke with Froome about, Porte said: “There’s not much you can say to someone like that. It’s bike racing. Sad to see him go out, but the race goes on.

“He wished me all the best. It’s a big opportunity. And I know that.”

While relieved that he can put behind him Wednesday’s cobblestone stage in which he crashed midway and sustained abrasions on left hip, Porte was wary about the hazards of Thursday’s stage before it began as rain continued to fall.

“I think after the stage yesterday, it’s a relief to have that [stage] done,” Porte said.

“But look at today [Thursday]. You never really get a moment to relax here in the Tour …”

Porte was right, for not only did he lose Spanish teammate in Xabier Zandio from a crash, but falls were aplenty throughout the stage that saw three more riders abandon the Tour.

Apart from Zandio, Alberto Contador’s teammate, fellow Spaniard Jesus Hernandez (Tinkoff-Saxo) abandoned after a crash.

The other rider left the Tour after crashing was Russian Egor Silon (Katusha), leaving the Tour with 189 riders, with Argentinian Max Richeze (Lampre) not starting the stage.

The Tour continues on Friday with stage seven, 234.5km from Epernay to Nancy - the second longest stage of the Tour that finishes after 21 stages in Paris on July 27.