Enrico Battaglin sprinted to an impressive victory on the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia today. The 28–year-old LottoNL-Jumbo rider, who finished third in yesterday’s stage, was fastest in the small group sprint in Santa Ninfa to take his first win of the season. It marked his third stage victory in the Giro having already won a stage in 2013 and 2014.
During the relatively short stage over 153 kilometres through the Sicilian countryside, Battaglin and team captain George Bennett were perfectly protected by their teammates.
On the final climb, Bennett brought Battaglin into an ideal position before the final corner, after which the Italian won the sprint by a few bike lengths. He beat his compatriot Giovanni Visconti (Bahrain-Merida) into second. Jose Goncalves (Katusha-Alpecin) was third, Max Schachmann (Quick-Step Floors) was fourth with Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) taking fifth.
Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) finished in 15th place in the front group of 42 riders and retained the leader’s pink jersey. He maintains his lead of one second over defending champion Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb).
“I’m very, very happy with this win. My last victory was four years ago already, also in the Giro. The fact that I win a stage in the Giro again, means a lot to me and makes it even more beautiful”, Battaglin said.
“I’m very proud to be part of Team LottoNL-Jumbo. The team did a perfect job today. Yesterday it didn’t work out, but today I could reward their confidence in me with a victory. I hope to continue my form for the rest of the Giro. After yesterday I wanted to set something right. I made a small mistake after which I finished third. Today, everything went according to plan. I can’t describe the joy I feel.”
