Demare wins fifth stage at Giro d’Italia

French cyclist Arnaud Démare won a bunch sprint at the end of the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia, and Juan Pedro López kept hold of the leader’s pink jersey.

Démare, who rides for Groupama–FDJ, edged Fernando Gaviria at the end of the 108-mile route from Catania to Messina after sprint favorites Mark Cavendish and Caleb Ewan dropped earlier in the day. Giacomo Nizzolo was third.

Démare also struggled on the climb but his team managed to eventually get him back to the peloton.

It was a sixth stage win in the Giro for the 30-yearold Démare but his first win of the year after a difficult start to 2022.

Most of the overall contenders crossed the line together. López maintained his 39-second advantage over Lennard Kämna after moving into the overall lead Tuesday. Rein Taaramäe was third, 58 seconds behind López.