- Bad weather and numerous falls mark the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia from Atripalda to Salerno.
- Co-favourite, Remco Evenepoel, drops twice, but loses no time.
- Norway’s Andreas Leknesund successfully defends Maglia Rosa.
The drivers weren’t really heartbroken on Wednesday. Cats and dogs rained down on practically the entire 171-kilometre stage to the coastal city of Salerno. A day when for many it was about to pass unharmed.
However, several falls in the last few kilometers made this task more difficult. With 7km to go, his right-hander hit much of the field, including Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma), who had to catch up to the front runners on his teammate’s bike.
Later, Remco Evenepoel was also affected. The Belgian world champion crashed after a lack of concentration at a relatively high speed, but within the 3 km mark. The Soudal-QuickStep pro lost no time in the general classification and is still second behind leader Andreas Leknessund. The Norwegian made it through the chaotic finish unharmed.
For Evenepoel, the fall just before the end was the second hard drop of the day. The Belgian fell early in the race when a stray dog rocked the field. Evenepoel sat on the ground for a while longer, but kept racing and, with the help of his teammates, caught up to the peloton again.
Groves wins the sprint – Cavendish flies
After 171 kilometers and two mountain classifications in the third category, Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who had already been on the podium twice with third-place finishes in stages 2 and 3, took victory of the day. The Australian won the sprint, ahead of Italian Jonathan Millan (Bahrain Al Muntasir) and former Danish world champion Mads Pedersen (Trek Segafredo).
The sprint to the finish line was also not without incident: Mark Cavendish (Astana) set off spectacularly at high speed shortly before the finish line and slid across the finish line in fourth place. Then the Briton had to be treated on the street.
legend:
The ultimate enemy including leaving
Caden Groves (in blue) wins stage 5, Mark Cavendish (rear) crashes badly.
Photos by Imago / La Presse / Massimo Paolone
This is how it goes
Thursday’s sixth stage drives more than 162 kilometres, some of them demanding, through the area southeast of Naples. In the mountainous middle section, category two and later category three climbs await. It is important for runners not to lose contact. They are expected to get another chance to win the day before Friday’s first mountain stage.
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