Once again Lorena Wiebes was able to finish off excellent work from Team DSM winning the stage five bunch kick at the Giro Donne. The Dutch rider hit the wind only with 150m remaining and crossed the line with a bike length gap
Such was the team’s dominance the result was never in doubt when the team came to the front with Canadian Leah Kirchmann at 500m. Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) tried to come round the eventual winner but was unable to get anywhere near, finishing second, with Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) in third.
Trek-Segafredo had brought the day’s breakaway back, with Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini doing a monster turn into the the closing 1200m, when Canyon-SRAM came through. But DSM were always in perfect position, lurking on the German squad’s shoulder.
Anna van der Breggen and her SDWorx team continue to dominate the race, the Dutch rider reading the general classification ahead of team mates, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Demi Vollering.
How it happened
After Monday’s brutal mountain time trial the Giro Donne peloton rolled out for the fifth stage minus 12 women who had missed the time cut, and with a sprint stage on the cards some of the favourites for the day would not take the start.
In a coup for the race’s new organisers the fifth day began in the centre of Milan, rolling past some its iconic sites during a 6.7km neutralised section, before 120.1km of racing began. The peloton raced from the eastern edge of the city to the suburb of Carugate for four 25.9km flat circuits with an intermediate sprint at the end of each.
Time bonuses at these primes were of no importance to the general classification though, with Anna van der Breggen and her SDWorx team in complete control. The Dutchwoman began the day with two team mates closest to her on general classification, and her nearest non team mate, Trek-Segafredo’s Lizzie Deignan, nearly six minutes down.
The was fast all day but stayed together until it reached the circuits, after 16km, when Matilde Vitillo (BePink) headed up the road, but her effort was short-lived and the race stayed stubbornly as one.
However, the 20 year-old was not to be outdone, attacking again and getting a gap after 50km
She was chased by Noemi Eremita (Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria), Mariia Novoldskaia (AR Monex), Giorgia Vettorello (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo), Federica Piergiovanni (Valcar Travel and Service) who towed Vitillo’s team mate Silvia Zanardi to the front, a group fo six forming and building a gap of two minutes with 50km to go.
Their advantage never increased from that marker though, and inside the closing 30km it began to reduce as those teams interested in a sprint began to prepare.
With the gap down to just 30 seconds at 14km, Novolodskaia attacked the breakaway, and when they were caught some five kilometres later the Russian still had 20 seconds lead.
>>> Anna van der Breggen's time trial at the Giro Donne was so fast she eliminated a dozen riders
The 21 year-old former junior track world champion was finally caught 3.5km to go, Trek-Segafredo working for Lucinda Brand, with other teams lined up on their wheel.
Starting a finishing in Colico, the sixth stage will see the peloton tackle a 155km circumnavigation lake Como. It’s is the longest stage of the entire 10 days, and while it is up and down all day it suits a punchy rider with Marianne Vos vying for her 30th career stage win.
Giro d’Italia Donne, stage five: Milan-Carugate (120.1km)
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) DSM in 2-49-15
2. Emma Norsgaard (Den) Movistar
3. Marianne Vos (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
4. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
5. Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Alé-BTC Ljubljana
6. Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT
7. Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing
8. Eleonora Gasparini (Ita) Valcar Travel and Service
9. Maria Sperotto (Ita) AR Monex
10. Coryn Rivera (USA) DSM all at same time
General classification after stage five
1. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) SDWorx in 10-30-08
2. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) SDWorx at 2-51
3. Demi Vollering (Ned) SDWorx at 3-03
4. Lizzie Deignan (Gbr) Trek-Segafredo at 5-53
5. Elise Chabbey (Sui) Canyon-SRAM at 6-12
6. Erica Magnaldi (Ita) Ceratizit-WNT at 6-35
7. Mavi Garcia (Esp) Alé-BTC Ljubljana at 6-57
8. Juliette Labous (Fra) DSM at 7-01
9. Niamh Fisher-Black (NZ) SDWorx at 7-22
10. Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Alé-BTC Ljubljana at 7-24
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