Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ) claimed stage 5 at the Giro d'Italia in Messina today, though Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) probably would have beaten him but for being unable to sprint on a higher gear due to a mechanical problem.
Démare enjoyed an incredible period over the last two years - with nine victories in 2021 and 14 in 2020, when he won the French national title and four stages and the points classification at the Giro. However, his form this season has not been as good, with his win today his first of the campaign.
He benefitted from an an excellent lead-out today, particularly from Australian Miles Scotson, with his chances of victory significantly increased when Mark Cavendish (QuickStep Alpha Vinyl) and Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) were both dropped on the climb early in the stage and never regained the peloton.
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In the final sprint Gaviria pushed Démare closest and the Colombian's cadence was visibly much higher than his French rival's. When Gaviria came over the line, in 2nd place, he banged his front wheel repeatedly off the ground in frustration at not being able to reach his highest gear.
After the stage the TV cameras picked him up in a rage as he said "what a shit bike". Afterwards, in a team-issued press release, his tone was more controlled and he complained of "problems with my derailleur in the end and I couldn’t get in the gear I needed".
He added the finale was hectic and that another rider may have made contact with the rear mech and damaged it slightly.
There were no such problems for Démare, who was delighted to win, especially after being dropped on the same climb as Cavendish and Ewan but fighting his way back to the peloton.
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“I’m really happy. It's the first win of the year for me. It's been a difficult day. It was a brilliant sprint, the guys did a really good job. They launched the sprint perfectly,” he said.
“It was a difficult climb," he added of the 19.6km Portella Mandrazzi, a cat 2 crested with 99km to race and where Alpecin Fenix was pushing hard in pursuit of the breakaway and to ensure Ewan and Cavendish remained out the back.
As the stage ended in a bunch sprint - of just over 100 riders after 174km of racing - there was no change at the top of the general classification. Spanish rider Juan Pedro López (Trek-Segafredo) continues to lead overall by 39 seconds from Lennard Kämna (Bora-hansgrohe), the Mount Etna stage 4 winner.
Rein Taaramäe (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) is 3rd overall at 58 seconds with Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) in 4th, at 1:42, the first of the general classification contenders.
Cavendish and Ewan both easily made the time cut today; finishing in the same group, surrounded by their team mates, some 11:57 down on the stage winner and points classification leader Démare.
Tomorrow's 192km stage from Palmi to Scalea looks like another one for the sprinters. While an early climb might put some of them out the back, it is a much smaller ascent than that which caused Cavendish and Ewan so much trouble today.
