Ben Healy makes his move at Baby Giro; scores stage result, big GG gain | Video | Sticky Bottle

*Tobias Halland Johannessen of Uno-X Dare Development; leads in Irish champion Ben Healy at the end of today's stage 5 on Giro Ciclistico d'Italia (2.2)*

Irish road race champion Ben Healy has made a big move
forward at the Baby Giro today. The 20-year-old is now right in contention in
the general classification despite losing time unexpectedly late last week.

Healy showed his class yesterday in taking 2nd in the
stage 4 TT, missing out on victory by just one second. And when the race began
in split early on the climbs today he was one of the main aggressors.

He ended the day with 3rd on the stage and gained the
most of the big names in the race on general classification; moving up 21
places to 7th.

Healy went up the road early today in a large group, featuring 26 riders, on the 142km stage from Fanano to Sestola.

Forhåndsfavoritten Ayuso ser så langt ut som den sterkeste i Baby-Giro, men @UnoXDAREdevo har både Tobias og Anders jagende tett bak.

Tusenvis av høydemeter igjen. #GiroGiovani2021 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/PZupmDHsKg

— Vegar Kulset (@VegarKulset) June 7, 2021

Irish champion Ben Healy finishes just behind Tobias Halland Johannessen of Uno-X Dare Development; the duo placing 2nd and 3rd on the stage today

Just after the halfway point the
breakaway had a gap of 1:40. Inside the last 30km both the breakaway and the
peloton began to split as there were two climbs to contest; the 12.2km
Poggioraso at 4.2 per cent followed by a descent and then the 4.3km Colle
Passerino at 9.7 per cent.

After that final climb was passed the
riders had a 3km rolling road into the finish, with only a short stretch of
descent after the peak of the final climb.

The front group initially saw five riders forge clear
before they were followed by four more to make nine up front, with Healy among
them. And just as the remains of the peloton was about to catch the nine
leaders, Healy attacked solo.

He led over the top of the final climb and had 24 seconds over a group of 17. That group was compromised of some breakaway survives as well the strongest riders from the peloton who had ridden away from the rest of the field.

Lara Gillespie attacks Dolomite stage as Giro hits high mountains — *Juan Ayuso (Colpack Ballan) today takes his second stage win of the race and he also has the maglia rosa for his efforts*

Video - Ireland's Meehan climbs with best on brutal Alpine terrain — *Juan Ayuso (Colpack Ballan) today takes his second stage win of the race and he also has the maglia rosa for his efforts*

Healy’s team mate, and race leader, Ben Turner was in
that 17-strong chasing group. And while Healy was caught, he emerged again
among a seven-man group that attacked on the short descent after the climb.

With 5km to Juan Ayuso (Colpack Ballan) attacked from the lead group and he went on
to take a really impressive win.

Tobias
Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Dare Development) was 2^nd
at 1:04, with Healy 3^rd on the same time after a very aggressive
ride through the 3½ hour stage.

The remaining four riders from the
seven-man breakaway that emerged on the late descent were a further 17 seconds
behind Healy and Halland Johannessen.

Unfortunately Healy’s Trinity Racing team mate Turner
lost the race leader’s jersey as he lost significant ground in the last 10km.
However, Trinity Racing is in a fantastic position with three riders in the top
10 overall.

The race is now led by today’s stage winner Ayuso (Colpack
Ballan). The 18-year-old last Friday’s
stage 2 and now has a second win and the race lead, in his first year as an
U23.

Ayuso, who was
Spain’s junior road race and TT champion last year, now has 1:35 Tobias
Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Dare Development) in 2nd, with Henri
Vandenabeele (Development Team DSM) in 3rd overall at 2:22.

Then comes the first of the Trinity
Racing riders; Thomas Gloag in 4th at 2:23. Healy is 7th overall at 2:44 and
then comes the deposed race leader Turner in 8th at 2:45.