Primož Roglič took his second win in 2 days on Tirreno Adriatico’s queen stage, finishing atop the Sassotetto climb. The front group of favourites appeared indecisive and played a very cagey game to the finish. Damiano Caruso had launched an attack but Enric Mas closed it up bringing Giulio Ciccone with him. With the pace slowed, it brought back Ineos Grenadiers’ Tao Geoghegan Hart who launched a sprint with Ciccone, however, both had gone too early and Primož Roglič was able to raise his arms on the line. Roglič also went into the GC lead for the first time too.
The race was another, like Drentse Acht and Paris NIce affected by the weather. The final 2.5km were cut from the stage due to the high winds. A number of riders attacked earlier and formed a reasonably large break of the day. A lead of 2 and a half minutes developed but riders slowly dripped back to the peloton again. The break wasn’t able to push on but managed to stave off the catch until there was 24km to go. Crosswinds were catching out riders, with some forced to unclip just to stay upright.
Now on the Sassotetto climb, UAE Team Emirates set a strong pace that thinned out the peloton and left only the favourites. First Davide Formolo and then George Bennett set the tone for their leader Adam Yates. But in a brief lull, Damiano Caruso could ride off the front and built up a decent lead of just over 20 seconds that was slowly but surely pulled back in. Once the sprint began, it all just opened up for the Slovenian to take the win.
“I suffered a lot today. Luckily the guys pulled me through and made it possible for me to fight for the win. I’m pleased that I finished it off. I have already accomplished more than I had anticipated. It’s crucial to develop a positive rapport with one another. Today we showed that we do.”
Primož Roglič
2023 Tirreno Adriatico Stage 5 result
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