Two crashes, one winner: Arrieta wins Giro stage

Two breakaways, two crashes, one winner: after a bizarre finale, Igor Arrieta has won the fifth stage of the Giro d'Italia. The young Spaniard won the sprint in Potenza against his fellow escapee Alfonso Eulalio from Portugal. A good two kilometres before the finish, Arrieta slammed on his brakes on a wet road and took a wrong turn. With his last ounce of strength, he fought his way back to Eulalio and overtook his rival a good 200 metres before the finish.

"I was completely empty on the last few kilometres, but I knew that Eulalio was feeling the same. At first I thought it would be impossible after the mishap. There were only two kilometres to go," said Arrieta. His UAE team-mate Jhonatan Narvaez had won the previous day for the beleaguered team, which had lost its three most important riders on the second stage.

The previous kilometres of the tough 3800-metre climb had already been bizarre. Arrieta and Eulalio led the race, which was characterised by heavy rain and hail, for a long time after an attack from an escape group. With 13.5 kilometres to go, Arrieta crashed on a descent and the path to victory seemed clear for Eulalio. But then Eulalio also fell 6.5 kilometres before the finish and Arrieta managed to close the gap - before braking.

Pink jersey as a consolation prize

In the overall standings, the Italian Giulio Ciccone from the German Lidl team lost the leader's pink jersey after just one day. Instead of the mountain specialist, 24-year-old Eulalio now leads the overall standings. Arrieta is in second place, 2:51 minutes behind.

Before the first tough mountain test on Friday, the sprinters get another chance. The 141 kilometres from Paestum to Naples have hardly any metres in altitude. The finale in the city on Mount Vesuvius is perfect for Italy's sprint star Jonathan Milan, who has yet to win a stage.

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