Jungels keeps pink jersey as Pibernik bungles finish
LUXEMBOURG’S Bob Jungels kept Britain’s Geraint Thomas at bay to retain the Giro d’Italia pink jersey on Wednesday after a “crazy” fifth stage that saw two riders celebrate victory.
Jungels, who took the race lead from Quick-Step teammate Fernando Gaviria after a fourth-stage finish on Mount Etna, maintained his six-second advantage on Sky rider Thomas as Gaviria snatched the stage win.
But at the conclusion of an undulating ride from the foot of Mount Etna to Messina that brought an end to the two stages on Sicily, the crowd was left baffled as young Slovenian Luka Pibernik starting celebrating fully 6km from the finish.
As the peloton raced towards the finish line for the first time, signalling the start of a final, 6km closing circuit, Pibernik launched a solo attack that held all the way to the finish line, where he sat up and spread his arms in victory.
But he was celebrating alone.
As thousands of puzzled fans looked on, 23-year-old Pibernik quickly realised his embarrassing gaffe before being swallowed up by the peloton as they began the final circuit.
Bahrain team leader and defending Giro champion Vincenzo Nibali later explained what had confused his young teammate. “The battery on his radio earpiece ran out. We tried calling him back to tell him, but he couldn’t hear us. But he’s young, things like that can happen,” Nibali said.
Gaviria, making his Giro and Grand Tour debut, emerged from Irishman Sam Bennett’s back wheel in the final 200m of a long and wind-hit home straight to claim his second victory after breaking his Giro duck on stage three.
In doing so, the 22-year-old from Colombia became only the second rider this century, after former champion Damiano Cunego, to claim two stages on the race before his 23rd birthday.
As the sprinters’ teams battled to move their stage contenders to the front, Jungels remained alert to late attacks from his pink-jersey rivals and held off Thomas.
Gaviria’s victory earned him the sprinter’s ciclamen jersey for the points competition. “I’m happy with two victories, the legs are now responding the way we wanted,” he said.
Italian Jakub Mareczko finished second with Bennett third.
After travelling to the mainland, the race was to resume yesterday with a 217km sixth stage from Reggio Calabria to Terme Luigiane that was to offer the sprinters another chance for glory.