Ackermann reigns in the rain as Dumoulin bows out of Giro

Dom Farrell
May 15, 2019 17:29 MYT

Pascal Ackermann secured his second victory of the 2019 Giro d'Italia as he pipped Fernando Gaviria on the line in a rain-sodden stage five.

Ackermann of Bora-Hansgrohe timed his attack to perfection to edge past Gaviria of UAE Team Emirates in a sprint finish in Terracina that concluded a 140-kilometre ride from Frascati.

The conditions seemed to contribute to a tentative sprint, in which home favourite Elia Viviani failed to make an impression, and it was Ackermann who made the decisive move off Gaviria's wheel, with the same pair also now first and second in the points classification

There was no change in the general classification, with Primoz Roglic retaining a 35-second lead over Simon Yates.

Tom Dumoulin's Giro ended during the early stages of Wednesday's ride, the 2017 champion unable to continue as he continued to struggle with injuries sustained during a heavy crash on stage four.

Kristijan Koren was sent home from the Giro by his team Bahrain Merida after the Slovenian rider was one of four men provisionally suspended by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for potential doping violations.

Giro d'Italia 2019 - Stage 5 | Tappa 5 Maglia Rosa @EnelGroupIT: @rogla Maglia Ciclamino @segafredoitalia: @Ackes171 Maglia Azzurra @BancaMediolanum: @giuliocicco1 Maglia Bianca @EurospinItalia: @SupermanlopezN #Giro pic.twitter.com/T7zN3NPK27
— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 15, 2019

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ACKERMANN: IT WAS SCARY ALL STAGE

Ackermann embellished his lead in the points classification but seemed similarly happy to have ended the stage in one piece as heavy rain made life tough for the riders.

"It was not just the sprint that was scary, all the stage was scary, all the descents," he said in a post-race interview with Eurosport.

"You cannot see that much in the peloton with all the water. It was lucky nobody crashed.

"I hope I can continue like this with the points jersey and I'm looking forward to the next stage."

STAGE RESULT

1. Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) 3:15.44

2. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates)

3. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ)

4. Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal)

5. Matteo Moschetti (Trek-Segafredo)

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo-Visma) 19:35:04

2. Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) +0:35

3. Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) +0:39

Points Classification

1. Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) 121

2. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) 93

3. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 86

King of the Mountains

1. Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) 24

2. Francois Bidard (AG2R La Mondiale) 6

3. Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo-Visma) 4

NEXT UP

Stage six from Cassino to San Giovanni Rotondo is a long one, with the riders set to rack up 238km, although there are no major climbs.

#Cycling #Giro d'Italia #Tom Dumoulin