Embarrassment for Pibernik, joy for Gaviria in Messina
The final sprint of the Giro's fifth stage (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
After Mount Etna played host to the first summit finish and first exchange between the general classification contenders, it was the sprinters who came back to the fore on stage 5, finishing in Vincenzo Nibali's home town of Messina on the second and final day in the island of Sardinia.
The 159km parcours from Pedara contained some hills in the opening half but was downhill of flat for most of the final 100km, with a tricky 6km finishing circuit in town. A Bahrain-Merida rider did clip off the front on the first passage of the finish line but it wasn't Nibali - instead it was Luka Pibernik, who somehow hadn't received the memo that there was an extra lap, and sat up and stretched out his arms, his celebration soon turning to embarrassment.
When it came down to the real thing, stage 3 winner Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) was once again imperious, following teammate Max Richeze through the disorganised final kilometre before switching to the wheel of Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe), all the while remaining patient in the headwind to time his surge to the line perfectly.
Watch how it all played out in the highlights video above, and for our full race report, click here.
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