Video: Relive crazy Giro stage 5 chaos after crashes, wrong turns and late comeback
The final 20 kilometres of stage 5 at the Giro d’Italia produced one of the wildest finishes of the race so far, with crashes, a wrong turn and a dramatic late comeback completely reshaping the battle for victory into Potenza.
What had looked set to become a straightforward two-rider duel between Igor Arrieta and Afonso Eulálio quickly unravelled as both riders hit trouble on the run to the line.
The crash of Igor Arrieta
Arrieta was the first to crash with 13.6km remaining, briefly losing momentum before fighting his way back into contention.
The crash of Afonso Eulálio
However, just a few kilometres later, Eulálio suffered his own crash, meaning that Arrieta rejoined the front of the race.
Wrong turn
The biggest moment came with just over 2km remaining when Arrieta took a wrong turn approaching the finish, forcing the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider to stop and accelerate back onto Eulálio’s wheel just as the Portuguese rider tried to press on alone.
The finish
Despite everything, Arrieta still managed to recover in time for the sprint, coming around Eulálio in the final metres to take the biggest victory of his career and UAE’s second straight stage win at this year’s Giro.
The finish also saw Eulálio move into the maglia rosa after a huge ride from the Bahrain Victorious rider, capping a stage that had already descended into complete chaos long before the sprint began.
Make us your preferred source on Google
Stay closer than ever to the latest cycling news, interviews and analysis. Simply selecting Domestique as a Preferred Source can really help us grow, while making sure you see more of our stories in your news overview.
