Enrico Battaglin sprinted to an impressive win in the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia. The 28–year-old Italian of Team LottoNL-Jumbo, who finished third in yesterday’s stage, sprinted in Santa Ninfa to his first win of the season. For Battaglin it’s his third stage victory in the Giro. He already won a stage in 2013 and 2014. Battaglin’s victory means the twelfth of the season for the LottoNL-Jumbo squad of manager Richard Plugge.
During the relatively short stage over 153 kilometres through the Sicilian countryside, Battaglin and team captain George Bennett were perfectly protected by their teammates. On the final climb, Bennett brought Battaglin in an ideal position before the final corner, after which the Italian won the sprint with a few bike lengths.
Giro d’Italia 2018 – 101th edition – stage 5
AGRIGENTO – SANTA NINFA
In the pic: BATTAGLIN Enrico (ITA) (TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO) , winner of the stage
“I’m very, very happy with this win. My last victory was four years ago already, also in the Giro. The fact that I win a stage in the Giro again, means a lot to me and makes it even more beautiful”, Battaglin said. “I’m very proud to be part of Team LottoNL-Jumbo. The team did a perfect job today. Yesterday it didn’t work out, but today I could reward their confidence in me with a victory. I hope to continue my form for the rest of the Giro. After yesterday I wanted to set something right. I made a small mistake after which I finished third. Today, everything went according to plan. I can’t describe the joy I feel.”
Second For Visconti
Giovanni Visconti, was just outsprinted by Battaglin in today’s finale.
“This result is good for morale and for the team, but I can’t be totally happy” explains Visconti “A home victory would have been like a dream. But I see the glass as half full, because I did not expect to have such legs and I helped Domenico to get back to the peloton too. An effort that then you pay at the finish”.
Dennis Secures 4th Day in Rosa
Rohan Dennis made it safely through stage four of the Giro d’Italia with the front group to successfully defend his race lead and retain the Maglia Rosa for the final stage in Sicily.
Dennis spent the day protected by his teammates at the front of the bunch and was positioned well in the final when the reduced bunch was strung out along the road.
Dennis crossed the line in the first half of the 40-rider group to maintain his one-second lead on the General Classification, before the final stage in Sicily on Thursday featuring the Etna summit finish.
“It was a nice day on the bike and it was actually quite an easy day in comparison to yesterday,” said Dennis after the stage. “I didn’t expect that with the cross-headwind and headwind for most of the day. There was a little bit of stress now and then but we got to sit back a little bit because other teams wanted to fight for the stage so it was a good day in the end.
“In the last 2km, everyone was stressing about that little climb just before the finish and they were fighting for position as if the top of that was the finish. I just rode my way through the peloton a bit and stayed calm and moved up after the climb. I was putting myself in the right position without wasting too much energy, especially in the last 500m. But, it wasn’t going to work and I wasn’t going to win the stage so I saved energy and sat on the wheels for the final. I felt pretty good and I saw a lot of faces being pulled in the peloton which is a good sign I think.
“I am taking it day by day. I know it sounds a little bit monotonous and boring but that’s how I am taking this Grand Tour. Tomorrow is another day when I will fight for pink and the day after is out of my mind at the moment. Etna will be hard. It’s a long climb. I’ve been going alright on these smaller climbs but a long one that goes up to altitude is a completely different ball game. It’s not going to be easy but it’s going to be about working together as a team and trying to control what we can control rather than biting into everyone else’s games and not doing what is best for me.”
“I would love to keep the jersey tomorrow. That’s a big goal of mine. Etna will really show me where I’m at against some of these big GC guys and hopefully, it’s positive. That would give me some confidence going into the second and third week.”
The Numbers:
- Three Italian victories in the first five stages: which hasn’t happened since 2009 when Alessandro Petacchi took Stages 2 and 3 and Stefano Garzelli won Stage 4.
- It’s the 11th podium for Giovanni Visconti at the Giro d’Italia. He was also second on Stage 8 to Peschici last year and on Stage 13 to Cividale del Friuli two years ago. His last stage win at the Giro was on Stage 17 to Vicenza in 2013.
- It’s the first podium at the Giro for José Gonçalves. The only Portuguese stage winner at the Giro d’Italia so far is Acacio Da Silva whose last success was on the Etna in 1989.
- Rohan Dennis took the 27th Maglia Rosa for an Australian rider and the 70th leader’s jersey in a Grand Tour (34 at the Tour de France, 9 at La Vuelta). The first Australian to lead a Grand Tour was Phil Anderson on 30 June 1981 at the Tour de France in Saint-Lary-Soulan.
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