Colombian Daniel Felipe Martinez maintained today the third position in the Giro d’Italia cycling, finishing 34th in the fifth stage, disputed between the cities of Genoa and this city over 178 kilometers.
Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe) crossed the finish line 11 seconds behind Frenchman Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis), winner of the segment with a time of 3:59.59 hours, followed by Dane Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost) and Italian Andrea Pietrobon (Polti-Kometa).
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) finished 29th, 11 seconds behind the Frenchman, and retained the overall lead.
Now Pogacar leads the race with a time of 19:19.15 hours, escorted by the British Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) and Martinez, 46 and 47 seconds behind, respectively.
Two other Colombians, Einer Rubio (Movistar) and Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost) occupy the fifth and tenth places, 56 seconds and 1.26 minutes, in that order.
This Wednesday Thomas, bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the madison, appealed to his speed in the final straight to claim the partial victory.
The Frenchman was ahead of three other riders, who together with him starred in the best breakaway of the day because the peloton did not arrive in time to cancel the breakaway.
This time the calculations failed and the rebels got away with it. At 11 seconds the big group came in with Pogacar as the main reference.
The attack by Thomas, Valgren, Pietrobon and Frenchman Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ) built a lead of 1.30 minutes with 30 kilometers to go.
A great resistance of the quartet, which still had 45 seconds with 10 thousand meters to the last line.
Already in the decisive stretch, Pietrobon got a small difference and had the victory at hand, but Thomas came from behind like an exhalation to impose his speed and achieve the first success of the season, the tenth of his professional career.
Tomorrow is the sixth stage between the towns of Viareggio and Rapolano Terme, a route of 180 kilometers, with the Volterra Pass as the main mountainous difficulty.
Classification of the fifth stage:
1-Benjamin Thomas (FRA/Cofidis) 3:59.59 hours.
2-Michael Valgren (DIN/EF Education-EasyPost) m.t.
3-Andrea Pietrobon (ITA/Polti-Kometa) m.t.
4-Enzo Paleni (FRA/Groupama-FDJ/Groupama-FDJ) at 3 sec.
5-Jonathan Milan (ITA/Lidl-Trek) 11.
6-Caleb Ewan (AUS/Jayco-AlUla) m.t.
7-Phil Bauhaus (GER/Bahrain-Victorious) m.t.
8-Tim Merlier (BEL/Soudal-Quick Step) m.t.
9-Olav Kooij (NED/Visma-Lease a Bike) m.t.
10-Madis Mihkels (EST/Intermarché-Wanty) m.t.
General classification:
1-Tadej Pogacar (SLO/UAE Emirates) 19:19.15.
2-Geraint Thomas (GBR/Ineos Grenadiers) 46 seconds behind.
3-Daniel Felipe Martínez (COL/Bora-Hansgrohe) 47.
4-Cian Uijtdebroeks (BEL/Visma-Lease a Bike) 55.
5-Einer Rubio (COL/Movistar) 56.
6-Lorenzo Fortunato (ITA/Astana-Qazaqstan) 1.07 minutes.
7-Juan Pedro Lopez (ESP/Lidl-Trek) 1.11.
8-Jan Hirt (RCH/Soudal-Quick Step) 1.13.
9-Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ/Astana-Qazaqstan) 1.26.
10-Esteban Chaves (COL/EF Education-EasyPost) m.t.
Source: Agencia Prensa Latina