2013 Giro Stage 5: Degenkolb victorious
German wins dramatic sprint in Matera, dashing Canola's hopes
John Degenkolb (Germany/Argos-Shimano) won an dramatic, crash-affected sprint in Matera Wednesday, adding a Giro win to his five Vuelta a España wins from last year. Thursday, Luca Paolini will spend another day in pink. Ryder Hesjedal remains in fifth place, 34 seconds behind Paolini.
The parcours was a fairly flat one of 203 km with a ripple 40 km after the start and a couple near the finish. Six riders broke away, but once Stefan Pirazzi (Italy/Bardiani Valvole) took the maximum Cat. 4 points, he eased back into the peloton.
The quintet drove on into the rain, its gap, once crowding 10 minutes, shrinking as Argos-Shimano and Orica-GreenEdge whipped along the peloton, working for Degenkolb and Matt Goss (Australia) respectively.
The break was corralled before the final Cat. 4 climb. Points at the top of Montecaglioso once more brought out the buccaneering spirit of Pirazzi. He surged out from the group to take another summit prize. One fellow who tried to thwart Pirazzi was AG2R’s Luxembourger Ben Gastauer. He swooped down Montecaglioso with Robert Vrecer (Slovenia/Euskatel). The duo drew Lars Bak (Denmark/Lotto-Belisol) and this new trio hoped to stay away on the uncategorized climb (strappi) near the finishing town of Matera.
This strappi was the setting for all sorts of attacks and plenty of suffering. The intrepid threesome and every other rider with stage-win ambitions were brought to heel. There was the question about whether or not a dropped Cavendish could ride back on for the big finale. He was escorted home a minute or so after Degenkolb.
In the final corner before the line, Degenkolb’s lead-out man crashed, leaving only a few riders to contest the win. Bardiani Valvolve’s Marco Canola found himself clear, and in a long, excruciating scene, he tried desperately to hold off the crash survivors over the last 750 m. Inexorably, the big German reeled him in and then hung on for the win.
2013 Giro Stage 5 Â summary
1) John Degenkolb (Germany/Argos-Shimano)
2) Angel Vicioso (Spain/Katusha) s.t.
3) Paul Martens (Germany/Blanco) s.t.
24) Ryder Hesjedal (Canada/Garmin-Sharp) s.t.
177) Christian Meier (Canada/Orica-GreenEdge) +12:40
182) Svein Tuft (Canada/Orica-GreenEdge) s.t.
184) Dominique Rollin (Canada/FDJ) s.t.
GC summary after Stage 5
1) Luca Paolini (Italy/Katusha) 19:56:51
2) Rigoberto Uran Uran (Colombia/SKy) +0:17
3) Benat Intxausti (Spain/Movistar) +0:26
5) Ryder Hejedal (Canada/Garmin-Sharp) +0:36
136) Dominique Rollin (Canada/FDJ) +32:25
154) Christian Meier (Canada/Orica-GreenEdge) +37:51
162) Svein Tuft (Canada/Orica-GreenEdge) +40:52
