At the end of an 80-kilometer escape and showing himself to be more skillful and patient than his three escape companions, Benjamin Thomas won the 5th on Wednesday.e stage of the Tour of Italy, contested between Genoa and Lucca. The 28-year-old rider thus signs the first French victory in the 2024 Giro. He also offers his team, Cofidis, a first success this season.
Thomas showed patience that paid off in the last few hundred meters by taking the risk of not reacting immediately to the attack of the Italian Andrea Pietrobon (Eolo-Kometa) to better overtake him just before the finish line. Thomas finally beat the Dane Michael Valgren (EF Education) and Andrea Pietrobon in the sprint.
“It was as unexpected as it was difficult to do, it’s crazy. I didn’t expect it at all, we were out to have fun.”explained the Frenchman, who came very close to a stage victory in the 2022 Tour de France in Carcassonne, before being caught 500 meters from the finish by the peloton. “When Pietrobon left, I didn’t want to go after him straight away. I knew the final, I had already been here in training”added Thomas, who lives and trains in Italy.
Pogacar “all out all day”
Multiple medalist in track cycling, Thomas explained, after his victory, that his breakaway of the day was “ like a long team chase.” “We were at more than 60 km/hhe said. It was complicated in the finale, we started to believe it 10 kilometers from the finish. »
This 5e stage was also marked by numerous falls, including the spectacular one of Frenchman Christophe Laporte, which had no impact on the general classification. The Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates), leader of the Giro since his victory in the 2e stage and big favorite of the event, remains at the top of the general classification ahead of the Briton Geraint Thomas (Ineos, 2e at 46 seconds) and the Colombian Daniel Felipe Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe, 3e at 47 s).
Pogacar, who is aiming for the Tour of Italy-Tour de France double, which has not been achieved in the same year since 1998, did not have a peaceful day however: “It was a bit of a crazy stage, the team did a good job in a very, very fast finish. We were at full tilt all day. »
The 6e stage, Thursday, 180 kilometers long between Torre del Lago Puccini and Rapolano Terme, is awaited with apprehension by the peloton: it takes white gravel paths and tricky portions of the Strade Bianche, a famous spring classic.
“You will have to be focused from start to finish. I am not doing this step to save time but to not waste any”assured “Pogi”, who won the Strade Bianche 2024 at the beginning of March after a solo raid of more than 80 kilometers