Giro d'Italia: Ackermann wins stage 5

Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) cemented his status as the fastest sprinter at the Giro d’Italia so far, winning the rain-soaked fifth stage Terracina, south of Rome. The German national champion produced another strong and perfectly executed sprint, beating Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) after the Colombian too kicked early.

The terrible weather conditions on the road from Frascati left everyone tired and cold, but the German had the speed to win his second stage of this year’s Giro d’Italia. Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) was third ahead of Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal). Elia Viviani was lead out by his Deceuninck-QuickStep teammates but struggled to accelerate and finished out of the top ten.

Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) finished safely in the peloton, happy that the times for the overall classification were taken on the first time through the finish with 9.2km to go. He and his overall rivals finished in a group behind the sprinters. Roglic still leads Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) by 35 seconds, with Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) third at 39 seconds.

Ackermann hugged his teammates and could hardly believe he had won again. He won wearing the cyclamen-coloured points jersey and extended his lead in the race-long competition.

“It was a crazy finale, it was really difficult in the rain,” Ackermann said.

“In the sprint I trusted my teammate Rüdi Selig and I was happy he found a gap and that Gaviria did a good lead out for me too. I’m strong but I was lucky too. I did two sprints: I had to brake with 250 metres and then go again. I’m really happy with today.

“All the stage was scary and sprint was scary because you can’t see much. It was cold all day. But I’m ‘heavier’ than most other guys and so that perhaps helped too.”

How it happened

The riders gathered in Frascati dressed in layers of warm clothing and heavy rain capes, signing in and rolling out under pouring rain that made the stage look and feel like a day at the Belgian Classics than at the Giro d’Italia in the south of Italy.

Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) bravely tried to continue despite suffering a knee injury after his nasty crash on stage 4, but 1.5km after the neutralized sector the tendon pain was too much for the Dutchman and he climbed into a team car, his hopes of winning the 2019 Giro d’Italia over.

Vincenzo Nibali also lost a Bahrain-Merida teammate, with Kristijan Koren suspended by the UCI after he was formally implicated in the Operation Aderlass doping ring. He headed home instead of continuing the race towards the coast and Terracina.

The early break of the day formed quickly in the rain, with only a handful of riders keen to race in the rolling Roman Hills. The peloton focused on surviving in the pot hole-filled roads, the slick corners and the cold conditions. Race leader Roglič swapped to a disc-brake bike such were the conditions, also twice changing jackets during the stage.

In the break were Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), Louis Vervaeke (Team Sunweb), Umberto Orsini (Bardiani-CSF), Enrico Barbin (Bardiani-CSF), Ivan Santaromita (Nippo Vini Fantini-Faizane) and Miguel Florez (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec). Vervaeke was the best-placed overall of the five in 75th place, but at 6:07 down on Roglič he was no real threat. However, the peloton refused to let them go, riding a strong tempo to keep the gap around two minutes and also to stay warm in the pouring rain.

Groupama-FDJ, Bora-Hansgrohe and Deceuninck-QuickStep all placed riders up front, with Roglič and his teammates just behind. They were happy to again let the sprint teams do the heavily lifting for most of the stage.

With 80km to race, Nibali dropped back to the race director's car and soon after it was announced the times for the overall classification would be taken on the first passage through the finish line in Terracina for safety reasons.

As the second intermediate sprint neared in Latina, Vervaeke jumped early and went away alone. He was also first over the category 4 climb in Sezze and pushed on in search of glory. Orsini, Barbin, Santaromita, and Florez soon lost enthusiasm and eased up, with the peloton catching them with 42km to go. Vervaeke remained out front with a lead of 1:20. He fought on but so did the sprinters’ teams, catching the Belgian with 23km to go. Then it was gruppo compatto and soon time for the sprint.

Jumbo-Visma lead the peloton through the finish line with nine kilometres to go, happy that the GC times were taken then so they could avoid any risk in the rain. Understandably, the overall contenders and their teammates eased, leaving just the sprinters and their lead out trains to fight for victory.

n the finishing circuit the riders had to dive through pools of water and wet corners as the heavens opened yet again. The Israel Cycling Academy lead along the seafront before Bora-Hansgrohe and then Groupama-FDJ tried to take over. However, the conditions tested everyone’s bike skills and Demare was fortunate to stay up after hitting a pool of water in the final 500 metres.

As Viviani stalled, suffering from the cold and derailleur problems, Gaviria started his sprint early at 300 metres to go but Ackermann was quick to respond – the only rider to do so, aside from an out-of-position Démare. The German gladly took Gaviria’s slipstream before pouncing, edging Gaviria on the line to take his second win of the Giro.

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