Irish champion Ryan Mullen leads the breakaway on stage 5 of the Giro d'Italia. He rode strongly out front all day on what proved to be another punishing day in the saddle.
Wearing the Irish national champion’s jersey, Ryan Mullen was clear in a breakaway for most of today’s stage 5 at the Giro d’Italia.
The 23-year-old double road and TT national champion looked strong out front in the escape.
In the end of the group he was with would be absorbed by the peloton, which disintegrated on what was a punishing last few kilometres.
Italian rider Enrico Battaglin (LottoNL-Jumbo) won the stage from Giovanni Visconti (Bahrain-Merida) and Jose Goncalves (Katusha-Alpecin).
Max Schachmann (Quick-Step) was next; recovering from being held up in a late crash. And in fifth place was a rider who has impressed since the start of this race; Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott).
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The latter looks likely to contend for a place on the podium and though it is early yet, he is looking like an outside bet to win the race outright.
Some 42 riders finished on the same time as the winner today. Nicolas Roche (BMC Racing) was safely in that diminished pack, in 38th place.
After his breakaway heroics Ryan Mullen would finish 102nd on the stage, some 5:46 down.
After his 3rd place yesterday, Battaglin wins today on a similar finish; one made for the road men rather than the sprinters.
And while the finale looked on paper like it might suit Sam Bennett after he had climbed so well yesterday; that was not the case.
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He kept his powder dry, finishing 168th in a group some 10:04 down.
How the race unfolded
Mullen shot from the pack soon after the stage start in Agrigento, with 153km in front of the riders to finish in Santa Ninfa.
He rode away with his Trek-Segafredo team mate Laurent Didier in the company of Eugert Zhupa (Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia) and Andrea Vendrame (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec).
They quickly gained over five minutes, with the BMC Racing team of race leader Rohan Dennis then riding on the front to ensure the gap did not get unwieldy.
They were helped in time by Lotto Fix All, UAE Team Emirates and Team Sunweb. That cooperation ensured the four out front never got very much rope.
And with about a third of today’s course completed two minutes had been shaved off the break’s advantage.
And while Vendrame would persist and not be caught until the 3km to go marker, Mullen and the others were swallowed up much earlier.
They simply would have needed to gain much bigger time at the start of their effort to have even a fighting chance of surviving.
And when the peloton conspired to keep them on a right leash, it was inevitable they would be recaptured.
However, with Mullen a young rider in his first Grand Tour; it was refreshing to see him in the breakaway, especially with the Irish champion’s jersey on his back.
The main favourites were in the lead group today and so there was no big change to the overall.
Tomorrow’s stage is where it gets serious; the climb to the summit finish of Mount Etna awaiting the riders.
And while some of the big contenders have shown signs of form, and indeed weakness already, the first real truth will emerge tomorrow when the road goes skywards.
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