Stage 5 is similar in length to Stage 3 at 198k and features a long finishing climb. The difference is the finishing climb is preceded by a big Cat 1. There is also a smaller Cat 1 earlier in the stage as well as a number of uncategorized climbs.
Kudus struck a big blow against Lecuisinier yesterday, the Frenchman has a chance to strike back immediately.
Interesting move early as Evonik are trying to put a man in the break, it is Herregodts. He is with Doubey. Just ahead of them leading the race are the White ( Galvan Ramirez) and Green ( Munton) Jerseys. Green being KOM here in Tirreno. The peloton is not far behind.
About 10k gone. A second Evonik man is trying to go up the road, Krasts along with a bunch of other strong riders. UBS moving to the front now and Kudus himself is at hand. Earlier Geoghegan Hart did a long turn on the front now it is Hansen.
All the attackers except Galvan Ramirez and Munton are brought back.
A new attack including Krasts results in a 7-rider group up the road. In addition to Krasts it is Powless, Fung, Donovan, and Moutsios plus Munton and Galvan Ramirez.
Gazelle chases a while before launching Chokri. He is joined by 8 others including 15th to 17th on GC, Arensman, Vlasov, and Chaiyasombat. Foss also in the group.
Haugard and Hansen combine to shut down the second group of attackers.
There is a brief lull and then a new group of 6 attacks. UBS and cycleYorkshire chase briefly but then decide they can live with this attack and the gap grows to 1’08 to the new group. They are Mas, Van Poucke, Wibisono, Foss, Vlasov and Chokri. They catch Munton and Galvan Ramirez who were dropped from the first group. The first group now down to 5, and is 30 seconds ahead.
We end up with a breakaway of 11. They have 2’59 with 160k to go. Galvan Ramirez and Munton were both dropped, Munton is back in the peloton while Galvan Ramirez is about halfway between the leaders and peloton. His 9 second lead over Krasts in the Young Rider competition looks at risk right now. The final breakaway is: Mas (8 KOM points) Van Poucke (12) Wibisono Powless Fung Donovan Moutsios Vlasov Krasts Foss Chokri (6)
The leaders reach the first significant uncategorized climb with 139k to go and a lead of 3’39. cycleYorkshire working with UBS on the front. This climb is immediately followed by the first Cat 1 which is 3.4k at 5.1%, which is pretty easy for a Cat, 1 but the classification probably takes into account the uncategorized climb as well.
Donovan launches an attack on the uncategorized climb, Vlasov, Chokri and Krasts can’t or won’t follow, and the gap quickly grows to almost a minute.
Vlasov drags the dropped riders back to the others and they are all together with 3k to climb in the Cat 1. Peloton at 5’42.
Van Poucke takes maximum points ahead of Mas and Foss
An attack from Mas drops Krasts and Chokri again but once again they are able to make it back a few K later.
100k to go for the peloton. Hansen and Haugard doing the work. The lead peaked at about 6’20 and is now 5’40.
The break roll through the first sprint point with a lead of 3’53 and 63k to go. They will start the Cat 1 (Piano Rosato, 15k at 6.3%) that leads into the final climb in about 14k. Only a few riders dropped from the peloton.
Schäppi leads the peloton on to the Piano Rosato with a deficit of 3’30 to the break. The high pace has caused a split and some big names are badly placed including Wellens, Olivier, Darbellay, and Geoghegan Hart.
Olivier and Geoghegan Hart quickly scramble across along with Formolo who had also missed the split. Then Darbellay sets off on his own but Wellens seems to lack urgency as the peloton heads off up the climb. In the breakaway Moutsios has been distanced.
Wellens wakes up and joins Darbellay. Abdurrahman gets to work trying to bring them back but he has 2’22 to close with 10k to climb. Barbio leading the peloton now. Chokri has been dropped from the break.
Krasts is the next man dropped from the break.
3k to climb for the break, they have 3’39 on the 53-rider peloton where cycleYorkshire have Skaarseth, Berwick, and Kanerva on the front. Wellens is pulling his group now but he is still 2’10 down.
Shortly afterwards Fung is dropped from the break but he is able to recover and rejoin.
Powless launches the first attack but Foss is the strongest and takes maximum points at the KOM, ahead of Mas and Van Poucke. Fung dropped again. Peloton at 2’56.
Van Poucke (38) and Mas (32) are up to 2nd and 3rd in the KOM. Foss continues to push the pace after the top and the first three get a gap.
500 meters from the top Latour attacks the Blue Jersey group. Wellens group still at 2’21, not looking good for him, maybe they can make up ground on the descent.
Kudus responds and a 7-rider group get a small gap with them are Schir, Lecuisinier, Eenkhorn, Pogacar and Morton. Oomen trying to close the gap.
Oomen with help from Potocki is able to get across as is Sivakov. Behind Sony – Force India with Haig, Roson and Hayter do the chasing. The Kudus group is 3’08 behind the leading trio.
As the descent flattens out the Kudus group is brought back resulting in a 36-rider peloton, 3’16 down on the leaders with 26k to go.
Foss tries and fails to drop his companions on the descent and they roll through the final sprint point together. As they start the final climb, they have 3’12 on the peloton. The climb is the Cat 1 Prati di Tivo, 13.6k at 7.5%. The Wellens group is still 2’08 down on the peloton.
With 9.8k to climb Wellens reaches the peloton along with Darbellay, Abdurrahman, Williams, and Arslanov. Those 5 have been chasing together since the beginning of the Piano Rosato about 40k ago. Fung has been caught by the peloton leaving Wibisono, Donovan, Powless and Vlasov out front along with the three leaders – Foss, Van Poucke and Mas.
Papanov takes over on the front and catches the 4 in between with 8.3k to climb. Just 52 seconds to the front 3 now. McNulty riding a long way back in the peloton near the White Jersey. With Krasts working up front for Lecuisinier now, the White Jersey competition might have tilted back to the LPH man, despite his early exertions.
As they are about to be caught Foss goes on the attack.
That attack lasts until Gregaard comes to the front to up the pace and with 6k to climb it is over for the break. 44 riders at the front of the race.
With 4k to go Morton makes the first GC attack. Carthy on his wheel and then Oomen. At the back 10 riders have been dropped including Darbellay.
10 riders get clear with Oomen having a little gap on the rest. The big names missing are McNulty, Olivier, Giannoutsos, Geoghegan Hart and Wellens.
1.8k to go and Pogacar counters. Olivier along with Stüssi and Gregaard is 54 seconds down while the other main GC guys are another 30 seconds behind.
Lecuisinier has a go as well but there are still 9 riders together as they hit the 1k banner. Only Sivakov dropped. The full list is Lecuisinier, Kudus, Pogacar, Haig, Morton, Sivakov, Oomen, Latour, Aular, and Carthy. The Olivier group is 1’08 down and McNulty is almost up to them. Giannoutsos really suffering today is much further back.
The pace eases and Sivakov rejoins. With 500 meters to go Latour launches. Behind McNulty is with Olivier and Stüssi.
It looks like Latour versus Kudus in the sprint. Behind them Morton and Haig.
Kudus gets his second stage win by a little more than a tire’s width. Latour is second.
Morton is awarded 3rd in an even tighter battle.
Then its Lecuisinier, Oomen, Pogacar, Carthy Sivakov, and Aular. The top 10 all get the same time. Olivier finishes 11th and loses 34 seconds, McNulty 13th, +0’56. The damage more severe for Wellens (+2’04) and Giannoutsos (+2’56)
Kudus expands his race lead over Pogacar to 25 seconds. Oomen in third on 55 seconds. Kudus also leads the points by a 26-point margin and is up to 3rd in KOM jersey, but Munton holds it for now.
Krasts pays for his work by dropping to 4th in the young rider jersey, 1’12 down on Galvan Ramirez. Hayter (+0’40) and Ayuso (+1’09) move into 2nd and 3rd. Those four will battle it out from here as 5th place Jele is over 23 minutes down.
Evonik do pass Tinkoff to take over the team’s jersey by 37 seconds. With the TTT tomorrow that might be in play.
Tirreno - Adriatico 
