Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Michal Kwiatkowski, GC leader of Tour de San Luis after the Stage 4 ITT, correctly predicted there would be riders going for the breakaway victory in the grueling, 169.8 Stage 5 of Tour de San Luis on Friday.
Two San Luis Somos Todos teammates — Emmanuel Guevara and Ricardo Diaz — attacked early, and the peloton gave the duo as much as an 18 minute advantage at one point during the stage. Guevara eventually went for the solo victory, and while the peloton began to reel the gap in, a small group including GC contenders Alberto Contador (Team Saxo-Tinkoff) and Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team) attacked the peloton in the final kilometers. Within the last 10.5km, which averaged 7.2 percent, the small group gained enough time on the shattered peloton, including Kwiatkowski in the leader's jersey, to shake up the overall rankings.
Diaz took over the race lead at Tour San Luis. Tejay van Garderen moved to 2nd (+17"), and Alex Diniz of Funvic Brasilinvest moves into 3rd (+39").
Kwiatkowski finished 22nd for OPQS, 3'46" back. Pieter Serry was in the same group, protecting the jersey, while finishing 28th. Kwiatkowski is now 9th in the GC, 2'19" back.