Frenchman puts Giro peloton on display with fellow escapees and sprints to stage win

NOS Cycling•yesterday, 5:22 PM

Frenchman Thomas puts peloton on notice and wins fifth Giro stage

Benjamin Thomas has won the fifth stage in the Giro d’Italia. The Frenchman was in a leading group of four that surprisingly stayed ahead of the chasing peloton and, after a sprint, crossed the line first in Lucca.

The peloton had miscalculated and could no longer catch the leading group. Michael Valgren came second and Andrea Pietrobon third. Olav Kooij finished ninth and was the best Dutchman.

Not much changed at the top of the general classification. Tadej Pogacar will wear the pink jersey again tomorrow. Geraint Thomas (+ 0.46 seconds) and Daniel Martinez (+ 0.47) are numbers two and three in the general classification.

No fireworks were predicted in advance in the stage that started in Genoa. The course had one serious climb, the Passo del Bracco that was braved for the 54th time in the Giro. The ride had a fairly flat run-up to the finish in Lucca.

The riders passed the picturesque seaside resorts on the Ligurian Sea along the way. Ideal conditions for sprinters and escapees.

Those escapees arrived: a group of four riders went ahead early. With Simon Geschke, Lewis Askey, Mattia Bais and Manuele Tarozzi, there were no riders who made a serious attempt at the rankings, or were known for winning a lot.

The leading group did not get much air. The quartet was kept at a distance of a maximum of one and a half minutes by the peloton and caught again more than 100 kilometers from the finish. The message seemed clear: this was a day for a bunch sprint, not a successful flight. Things turned out differently.

Although a sprint stage was expected, the Dutch sprint gun Fabio Jakobsen was once again unable to leave a good impression. He had to let go with about 130 kilometers to go, but was later able to return to the peloton.

It was not a happy day for Christophe Laporte either. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider took a big hit. With some abrasions, he got back on the bike a little later.

With 75 kilometers to go, four riders broke away again. Thomas, Valgren, Enzo Paleni and Pietrobon formed the new leading group. It was expected that they would also be arrested.

That didn’t happen. While Pietrobon escaped alone in the last stretch, Thomas came out on top at the last minute. It is the biggest road victory to date for the Frenchman, who mainly achieved success on the track.