Rider Overcomes Crash and Wrong Turn to Win Giro d'Italia Stage

A rider in the breakaway crashed with 14km remaining on a wet descent and later took a wrong turn with 2km to go but recovered to win stage five of the Giro d'Italia. The stage from Praia a Mare to Potenza covered 203km and featured 4,100m of climbing on wet roads.

The winner said he continued riding after the crash because he did not believe his race was over. The stage winner and a rider from the same breakaway group stayed clear to the finish after the key climb of the day, the 6.6km Montagna Grande di Viggiano at 9.2 percent gradient, reduced the original 12-man breakaway.

The pair contested the stage win in the technical finale in Potenza. The second rider also crashed 6km from the line, allowing the pair to regroup before the final mistake and recovery occurred.

Australian riders Jai Hindley, Ben O'Connor and Michael Storer finished safely in the main group and sit 6 minutes 22 seconds behind the leader alongside other general classification favorites. The pink jersey is expected to remain with the current holder until the race reaches the high mountains later in the week.

The winner described emptying himself in the final kilometers but knowing his rival faced the same fatigue. The stage took place in heavy rain and produced one of the more unusual finishes in the 109 editions of the Giro d'Italia.

Stage six is scheduled for Thursday over a flat 142km route from Paestum to Napoli in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. Sprinters are expected to contest the finish, although a short 4 percent cobbled climb near the end could create late chaos if rain continues.