Cooke solos to her first win of 2011

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Olympic champion Nicole Cooke took her first victory of the year for her MCipollini Giordana team with a solo effort into Verona after 135.2km. The result did little to erase any of the 18 minute deficit she had to race leader Marianne Vos, however. Cooke finished just four seconds ahead of the Dutch champion, who led the sprint home in front of stage 4 winner Ina Teutenberg.

Stage 5 was the Giro Donne's longest day, and the peloton wasted no time getting through the 135km route from Altedo to Verona. The pace on the mostly flat first half was a brisk 44kph, so fast that it discouraged any breakaways from forming.

It wasn't until the gradual rise to Verona with 10km to go that a group split from the field: Cooke was there along with Sarah Düster and Nortje Tabak (Nederland Bloeit), Valentina Scandolara (Gauss), Marijn De Vrijes (AA Drink Leontien.nl), Tiffany Cromwell (Hitec Products UCK), Emilia Fahlin (HTC Highroad); Gloria Presti (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo). Alessandra d'Ettore (Forno d’Asolo Colavita), Andrea Graus (Kleo Ladies Team) and Liesbeth de Vocht (Top Sport Vlaanderen Ridley).

The ten riders gained up to 40 seconds, until an attack by Scandolara broke the cooperation. She was caught and immediately countered by Düster, but the move only proved to benefit Cooke, who used the efforts as a launching pad to make her race-winning attack.

"I realized the attack from Düster was the race-winning move, and I immediately got on her wheel," said Cooke. I wanted so much to win this stage, which is in our MCipollini Giambenini Giordana team's home base. I gave it everything I had, and didn't look back."

Cooke held off the chase from the field by a slim four seconds, while the peloton sped past the remainders of the breakaway and Vos conquered Teutenberg to take second on the day. A large crash in the final meters of the race ended the Giro Donne for Garmin-Cervelo's Lucy Martin, who sustained a broken wrist in the incident.

There was no change in the overall standings: Vos continues to hold the race lead, points classification and mountains competition, with best young rider Rasa Leleivyte (Vaiano Solaristech) and best Italian Tatiana Guderzo (MCipollini-Giordana).

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