Giro d'Italia (st. 5)

Movistar Team unscathed at Terracina's finish, after torrential rain and deteriorated roads force organisers to register GC times before final lap of urban circuit.

Still with a smile to their faces after the win by Richard Carapaz in Frascati on Tuesday, the Movistar Team riders in the 2019 Giro d’Italia had to tackle dreadful conditions on stage five, one of the shortest in this year’s race over just 140km towards Terracina.

The deluge never left the riders during the evening, and the bad condition of the roads, full of bumps and with puddles several centimeters deep at places, forced the organisers -together with the jury and after consultation with the riders- to register the GC times at the start of the final 9km urban circuit.

Focused on leading out Richard Carapaz and Mikel Landa towards that point, the Blues worked with excellent order all day. Mas, Carretero, Sütterlin, Pedrero, Rojas and Amador again took to the front for most of the stage and kept the Telefónica-backed squad’s two GC hopes for the race at the eve’s magins, 1’21” (Richie) and 1’49” (Mikel) behind the Maglia Rosa, Primoz Roglic (TJV).

The Giro will leave the Tyrrhenian coast on Thursday’s second longest stage of the race -238km from Cassino to San Giovanni Rotondo-, climbing the Coppa Casarinelle (Cat-2) climb just over a dozen kilometers before the end of what will be the first mid-mountain test for the race contenders.

Cover picture (c): BettiniPhoto