The peloton endured biting cold and heavy rain between Frascati and Terracina.
Just 140 kilometers were on the menu of Wednesday’s stage 5, one of the shortest at this edition, which came after three consecutive days in which the distance exceeded 200 kilometers. Long before the real start, the rain began pouring down, announcing the riders they will face another hard stage in the saddle, which Pieter Serry duly controlled for Deceuninck – Quick-Step, making sure the break got nullified with more than 20 kilometers to go.
The wet roads prompted the organisers to take the timing for the general classification with ten kilometers to go, on the first passage of the finish line in Terracina, where the race returned for the fourth time. The GC riders slowed down, allowing the sprinters’ teams to move to the front and fight for positioning as they went into the tricky corners taking to the finishing kilometer.
Fabio Sabatini and Florian Sénéchal did a great job once again, shepherding Elia Viviani until with 600 meters to go, but unfortunately for the Italian Champion, due to the chaos that ensued in the closing kilometer and the leg-sapping weather conditions that ultimately took their toll on many riders, he couldn’t fight for victory at the end of the stage, the sprinters’ penultimate opportunity to go for glory on the opening week of the race.
Photo credit: ©Justin Setterfield/ Getty Images
