Advertisement
wash out

Ackermann reigns in the rain as Dumoulin bows out of Giro

Tom Dumoulin bowed out of the Giro d’Italia as there was no change in the GC and points leader Pascal Ackermann won stage five.

PASCAL ACKERMANN SECURED his second victory of the 2019 Giro d’Italia as he pipped Fernando Gaviria on the line in a rain-sodden stage five.

pascalackermann-cropped_19b2lkge9bdiv1lezs977s115k Pascal Ackermann.

Ackermann of Bora-Hansgrohe timed his attack to perfection to edge past Gaviria of UAE Team Emirates in a sprint finish in Terracina that concluded a 140km ride from Frascati.

The conditions seemed to contribute to a tentative sprint, in which home favourite Elia Viviani failed to make an impression, and it was Ackermann who made the decisive move off Gaviria’s wheel, with the same pair also now first and second in the points classification

There was no change in the general classification, with Primoz Roglic retaining a 35-second lead over Simon Yates.

Tom Dumoulin’s Giro ended during the early stages of Wednesday’s ride, the 2017 champion unable to continue as he continued to struggle with injuries sustained during a heavy crash on stage four.

“For me it’s terrible,” said Dumoulin. “Months and weeks of preparation and dedication went into this Giro and in one moment it’s over.”

“It’s not how I wanted it to go of course, but it is how it is.

I don’t know how bad the injury is, we only know that nothing is broken and it will probably just be swollen for a few days, but we have to see.

“For now I will just rest and see how it goes.”

Kristijan Koren was sent home from the Giro by his team Bahrain Merida after the Slovenian rider was one of four men provisionally suspended by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for potential doping violations.

‘It was scary all stage’

Ackermann embellished his lead in the points classification but seemed similarly happy to have ended the stage in one piece as heavy rain made life tough for the riders.

“It was not just the sprint that was scary, all the stage was scary, all the descents,” he said in a post-race interview with Eurosport.

You cannot see that much in the peloton with all the water. It was lucky nobody crashed.

“I hope I can continue like this with the points jersey and I’m looking forward to the next stage.”

Up next, stage six from Cassino to San Giovanni Rotondo is a long one, with the riders set to rack up 238km, although there are no major climbs.

Stage Result

1. Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) 3:15.44
2. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates)
3. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ)
4. Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal)
5. Matteo Moschetti (Trek-Segafredo)

Classification Standings

General Classification

1. Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo-Visma) 19:35:04
2. Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) +0:35
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) +0:39

Points Classification

1. Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) 121 
2. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) 93 
3. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 86

King of the Mountains

1. Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) 24
2. Francois Bidard (AG2R La Mondiale) 6
3. Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo-Visma) 4

Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:

Your Voice
Readers Comments
3
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

    Leave a commentcancel