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French rider Arnaud Démare won a bunch sprint at the end of the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia on Wednesday as Juan Pedro López kept hold of the leader’s pink jersey.
Démare, who rides for GroupamaFDJ, edged out Fernando Gaviria in a hotly-contested sprint at the end of the 174km (108-mile) route from Catania to Messina, after favourites Mark Cavendish and Caleb Ewan had been dropped earlier in the day. Giacomo Nizzolo was third.
Démare also struggled on the climb but his team managed to eventually get him back to the peloton. Most of the overall contenders crossed the line together. López maintained his 39-second advantage over Lennard Kämna. Rein Taaramäe was third, 58 seconds behind López.
Five riders escaped early in the day but they were caught after 100km. The main drama happened on the only climb of the day, a second-category ascent to Portella Mandrazi.
With Cavendish and Ewan dropped, the peloton upped the pace and they were unable to catch up. Cavendish’s Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team put in a solid effort but the high speed of the peloton eventually forced them to give up hope of closing the gap.
The day finished earlier than most to allow teams to take the ferry to the Italian mainland for Thursday’s sixth stage from Palmi to Scalea, along a mainly flat 192km route with a fourth-category climb early in the stage.
