Caleb Ewan has won Giro d'Italia stage 5! Alessandro De Marchi keeps the Maglia Rosa
Caleb Ewan took his first stage victory at the 104th Giro d’Italia, his fourth in total at the Corsa Rosa, as he jumped from behind to overhaul Italian specialists Giacomo Nizzolo and Elia Viviani who settled for second and third in Cattolica. Alessandro De Marchi retained the Maglia Rosa but runner up Joe Dombrowski lost time in the GC because of a crash that also took Mikel Landa, one of the GC favourites, out of the race with 4km to go. Pavel Sivakov, who crashed earlier on, also crossed the line with a significant deficit.
STAGE RESULTS
1 – Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) – 177 km in 4h07’01”, average speed 42.993 km/h
2 – Giacomo Nizzolo (Team Qhubeka Assos) s.t.
3 – Elia Viviani (Cofidis) s.t.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Alessandro De Marchi (Israel Start-Up Nation)
2 – Joseph Dombrowski (UAE Team Emirates) at 22”
3 – Nelson Oliveira (Movistar Team) at 48″
JERSEYS
Maglia Rosa (pink), general classification leader, sponsored by Enel – Alessandro De Marchi (Israel Start-Up Nation)
Maglia Ciclamino (cyclamen), sprinter classification leader, sponsored by Segafredo Zanetti – Giacomo Nizzolo (Team Qhubeka Assos)
Maglia Azzurra (blue), King of the Mountains classification leader, sponsored by Banca Mediolanum – Joseph Dombrowski (UAE Team Emirates)
Maglia Bianca (white), young rider general classification leader, sponsored by Intimissimi Uomo – Attila Valter (Groupama – FDJ)
Quotes and Statistcs
4th win for Caleb Ewan at the Giro after Alberobello (2017), Pesaro and Novi Ligure (2019). It’s the 36th stage victory for Australian riders. It’s the 5th consecutive Giro with at least one Australian stage victory featuring.
16th podium for Giacomo Nizzolo at the Giro d’Italia: he’s taken 11 second places and 5 third places, but no victory yet. Nizzolo and Viviani, 2nd and 3rd today, finished 3rd and 2nd on Stage 2 to Novara behind Tim Merlier.
Only the Italians (Filippo Ganna and Alessandro De Marchi) have worn the Maglia Rosa after 5 stages. This has not happened since Alessandro Petacchi led the race from Stage 1 to Stage 6 in 2003.
Speaking in the press conference, the stage winner Caleb Ewan said: “The sprint itself was reasonably straight forward. It was slightly uphill in the last few 100 meters. I went to the right side and got boxed in. I moved a bit to the left and I had enough time to come around in the end. I tried to take the line with the least wind possible. The first half of the stage was super easy but the last half was stressful with potential crosswinds. We did a good job to stay near the front and out of trouble. Winning like I did today was obviously my first goal of the three Grand Tours. It’s still too early to leave the Giro. I’ll definitely be here tomorrow and I’ll try to win more stages.”
The Maglia Rosa Alessandro De Marchi said: “It was an unforgettable evening for everyone in the team yesterday after I took the Maglia Rosa. In addition to the messages on my phone, the compliments I received today from staff, riders and everyone involved in the Giro d’Italia this morning really meant a lot to me. It’s pretty simple tomorrow: I’ll fight until the end. I’ll pay attention to make sure no one dangerous in the GC gets away. I’m ready to do my best. Wearing the Maglia Rosa is demanding but it’s a light weight to carry considering how nice it is to bear these responsibilities.”
