A resounding surprise in the Giro d’Italia, where Benjamin Thomas won the flat sixth stage. The course seemed made for the sprinters, but the trains were unable to close the gap with the leading group. The Frenchman won the sprint over his three fellow escapees and thus took the biggest victory of his career.
“Nobody had bet on the escapees today,” said winner Benjamin Thomas afterwards. The last of a trio of flat stages had the best run-up for the sprinters. The last hill was about twenty kilometers from the finish, after which the teams were able to control the race. When the early breakaway broke down halfway through the stage, nothing seemed to stand in the way of the sprinters.
Yet there was another attempt more than sixty kilometers from the finish. Four escapees took the lead, but were never given much more space than two minutes. Yet they still seemed to have a lot left to pedal when the sprint trains joined the chase.
Head over heels, teams tried to work together, but it was all in vain. The front four ran well until the last kilometer, where about twenty seconds of the lead remained. Andrea Pietrobon attacked his fellow escapees, but was overtaken just before the finish by the sprinting winner Thomas and Michael Valgren, who finished second. The fourth escapee Enzo Paleni could no longer squeeze out a sprint and finished slightly behind.
“It was like a very long team time trial,” Thomas looked back in disbelief. “With ten kilometers to go, we still had fifty seconds and a tailwind. Then we believed that we could stay ahead. I thought in the last kilometer: “Maybe today is my day.” I really don’t know what to say right now. It means a lot to me.”
Behind the leading group came the chasing peloton, where only the last crumbs remained for the sprinters. They were for Jonathan Milan. The Italian winner from the day before was again the strongest sprinter, but had to settle for fifth place. Olav Kooij finished ninth.
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17:12
Benjamin Thomas wins!
Pietrobon is overtaken by the fellow escapees and Thomas wins the sprint.
17:11
Another 1 km
Pietrobon attacks from the leading group. Before that, he had not taken over for a long time, because he seemed to have no energy anymore.
5:10 PM
Another 1.5 km
25 seconds left. It can go either way.
17:08
Another 3 km
35 seconds left. The escapees must continue to work together, then they have a serious chance of staying ahead of the sprinters.
17:06
Another 5 km
It is still a serious gap 40 seconds. Are we getting a stunt?
17:02
Another 10 km
The gap is still 45 seconds. The platoon still has to go seriously to overtake the four at the front.
4:55 PM
Another 16 km
On the last climb of today – Montemagno – no riders appear to have been released. So we’re going with one entire platoon to the finish in Lucca. Then the leading group must first be caught up. The escapees remain on one small minute drive ahead.
There was no sprint at the front for the mountain points, but Valgren took full advantage.
4:45 PM
Another 26 km
Fall in the platoon. Visma-Lease a Bike remains little spared today, because now it is Attila Valter who is there, after an earlier fall by Christophe Laporte. Also Michael Woods is one of the handful of riders who hit the asphalt.
Just before that there had also been a crash, but no big names were involved.
16:41
Another 28 km
At the last intermediate sprint the leading group comes through with another small minute head Start.
16:14
Another 52 km
For the listeners of our podcast In het Wiel: Tadej Pogacar is ‘just’ completely wearing pink today. No more black or even purple pants.
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16:11
Another 58 km
At the Intergiro sprint Kaden Groves again the strongest of the pack. He finishes fifth behind the leading group.
4:00 pm
Another 62 km
After the intermediate sprint the second leading group of the day arose after the first escapees were caught early on. The hole is now closed one and a half minutes for:
• Enzo Paleni
• Michael Valgren
• Benjamin Thomas
• Andrea Pietrobon
15:42
Another 79 km
Christophe Laporte falls in the run-up to the intermediate sprint. Because there is no longer a leading group, the sprinters compete for points in Ceparana, so the pace increases.
Behind the sprint violence, Laporte says something at full speed to another rider and while he is not paying attention to the road he drives over a manhole cover, after which he appears to lose control of his bicycle. Riders around him can avoid him and also the European champion himself is back on the bike. Well with one torn suit.
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A side issue, but for the sake of completeness passing the intermediate sprint:
1. Kaden Groves
2. Olav Kooij
3. Jonathan Milan
15:28
Another 88 km
The men at DSM closed the gap very quickly. After catching up with the leading group, the pace in the peloton is completely gone This means Jakobsen can return quickly.
15:22
Another 91 km
Just like yesterday, Fabio Jakobsen has the support of his colleagues Julius van den Berg and Gijs Leemreize. Will they get their top sprinter back into the big group?
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15:15
Another 95 km
Merlier, Gaviria and Ewan are returned in the platoon. The pace also seems to slow down a bit. Also possible Jacobsen still connect?
3:00 PM
Another 110 km
Now it’s done. The leading group is taken back by the platoon.
The Passo del Bracco suffered quite a few casualties in that peloton. Fabio Jakobsen again had to release early and he is trailing behind four minutes. Tim Merlier, Fernando Gaviria and Caleb Ewan have also been released, but those 45 seconds are more manageable.
14:52
Another 116 km
The leading group survives the climb of Passo del Bracco with only a lead at the top fifteen seconds. Alpecin-Deceuninck increased the pace a bit and has the gap almost completely poem.
The passage to the top:
1. Simon Geschke
2. Mattia Bais
3. Lewis Askey
13:41
Another 160 km
A leading group of four has opened a gap of one and a half minutes with the peloton.
• Mattia Bais
• Simon Geschke
• Lewis Askey
• Manual Tarozzi
13:13
Another 178 km
Andresen is back on the bike and the neutral car gives up starting signal. The fifth stage of this Giro d’Italia has started.
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General classification
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Also read
• Everything you need to know about the 107th edition of the Giro d’Italia: favorites, stage schedule and what exactly the course looks like.
Giro 2024 stage schedule
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Tags: Refugees frustrate sprinters Giro dItalia Benjamin Thomas records surprising victory Giro
