Pavel Brutt (Tinkoff) has won Stage 5 of the Giro d'Italia. Brutt surged away from four companions in the last km to win the rolling, 203-km run from Belvedere Marittimo to Contursi Terme in 5:04:52. Johannes Frohlinger (Gerolsteiner) and Luis Laverde (CSF) finished second and third, respectively, at 0:04 and 0:10. Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) remains the maglia rosa.
As has been the case for much of this year's Giro, rain followed the riders. About 20 km into the stage, Brutt, Frohlinger, Laverde, David Millar (Slipstream), and Francisco Perez (Caisse d'Epargne) sallied off of the front. The peloton did not chase immediately, and the break led the bunch by 9:10 at 116 km.
Liquigas, Quick Step, and LPR went to the front, but the bunch did not chase hard enough, and when the break had a two-minute lead with four km left, it was obvious that one of its members would win.
Frohlinger attacked first but was brought back. Perez followed suit, and he was reeled in as well. Millar appeared to be the strongest rider, but his chain broke with 850 m left. Brutt attacked and pulled away from his companions.
Brutt's behavior in the break made him no friends. Perez said, "I felt good and tried to attack on the hill, but Brutt took advantage of us. In the final, the Russian didn't take any pulls and said he was dead, but he was still able to beat us!"
Frohlinger agreed. "I am a little bit angry with Pavel Brutt because the whole day, he was saying he was not feeling good," the German said. "For the first 100 kilometres, he stayed on the wheels on every climb. Then he attacked going into the last kilometre." The next time Brutt is in a break, look for his companions to try to shed him.
In the overall, Pellizotti leads Christian Vande Velde (Slipstream) by 0:01 and Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes) by 0:07. As was the case with today's stage, Stage 6 is one that could produce a challenge to the maglia rosa. The rolling, 231-km run from Potenza to Peschici should produce a great escape. Will it produce a change in the standings? Check in at www.roadcycling.com and find out!
