The Australian Kaden Groves won the fifth stage of the 106th Giro d'Italia in a sprint, 171 kilometers from Atripalda (Avellino) to Salerno marked by rain and falls, numerous species in the final stretch and involving many protagonists, from the winner of the day to the pink jersey, the Norwegian Andreas Leknessund, and in particular the former leader of the classification Remco Evenepoel, Ended up on the ground twice. Groves, having overcome all these difficulties, won the sprint on Jonathan Milan, very close to the encore after the triumph of San Salvo of the second stage, and the Danish Mads Pedersen.
A stage that has been marred by bad weather since the start in Irpinia, with the almost incessant rain that left no peace to the riders, curbing any ambition of attack. A race that was also characterized by the long escape of three athletes with Samuele Zoccarato last to surrender, resumed a few kilometers from the finish line. The first fall of the day, after a few kilometers from the start, was however caused not by the slimy asphalt, but by a dog, which crossed the road right at the passage of the runners, making Evenepoel tumble in particular. The Belgian remained on the ground for a couple of minutes with a sore right leg, then took a new bike and returned to the race, 'escorted' by some teammates with whom, subsequently, he managed to return to the group. An episode that recalled what happened in Campania at the 2007 Giro: then it was a cat that crossed the road on the Chiunzi pass, an area of the Amalfi Coast, causing the fall of several cyclists, including Marco Pantani who, upon arrival in Cava de 'Tirreni, was forced to retire.
In the very last phase of the race, there were three falls: the first in the industrial area of Salerno, which broke the group and forced both Leknessund, the Slovenian Primoz Roglic, with the bike of a teammate, and Groves. To have the worst was one of the favorites to win titie, the Colombian Fernando Gaviria.
Evenepoel was again involved in a fall a few kilometers from the finish line, on the seafront of Mercatello, but fortunately for him he was already in the three kilometers of neutralization. Moments of chaos also in the sprint, dominated by Groves on Milan and Pedersen, with Marc Cavendish who crossed the finish line sitting on the ground. The least fortunate was the Italian Andrea Vendrame, who was taken to hospital by ambulance.
"Everything was going well until I crashed seven kilometers from the finish - said the winner -. Luckily I put the chain back on and went back to the front. It was an abnormal sprint. We all got lost. I got on the wheel of the DSM, I had the legs to win. It's a dream to win a stage of the Giro. It's the race I've been focusing on since November."
