Favorites stage 5 Giro d'Italia 2024 | The Giro wouldn't be the Giro if...

For the third consecutive day, the Giro d'Italia organizers have plotted a stage that seems perfect for sprinters, but true to Giro form, there's a catch. What is it? In this article, IDLProCycling.com breaks down what you can expect in the upcoming fifth stage!

Course stage 5 Giro d'Italia 2024

On Tuesday, the cyclists reached Andora, where most of the peloton likely spent the night along the Ligurian coast. Wednesday starts in Genoa, the capital of Liguria. Genoa is famous as the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, for its football clubs Genoa and Sampdoria, and for the tragic collapse of the Morandi Bridge in 2018.

History aside, the start of the stage could play a crucial role. The route heads southeast along the coast, tackling several hills along the way. Riding through villages like Nervi, Sori and Recco, the riders will get a taste of the terrain, but it’s the Ruta climb after thirteen kilometers that might stir up some nerves. Although uncategorized, its 3.7 kilometers at a 6.8% gradient are notably tough.

The route continues through Zoagli and Madonna della Grazie (3.9 kilometers at 4%) before approaching the day’s most formidable climb: the Passo del Bracco, appearing just shy of fifty kilometers in. It’s a lengthy 15.2 kilometers at an average of 3.9%, but it’s uneven. At the summit, riders reach the highest point of the day, having conquered most of the elevation gain.

After a descent, the next significant milestone is the intermediate sprint in Ceparana, bypassing La Spezia. The course then moves through Camaiore – familiar from the Tirreno-Adriatico – to the day’s final challenge: the Montemagno (3.0 km at 4.3%), followed by a twenty-kilometer descent into the picturesque Tuscan town of Lucca.

What do the final kilometers look like, knowing that a sprint finish is likely and considering Lucca’s status as a walled city? There’s a sharp left turn at 2.5 kilometers from the finish, immediately followed by a direct right turn, leading the riders along the city walls. This setup means they’ll race through one long, sweeping curve to the finish, navigating several roundabouts along the way.

The last of these obstacles is found at roughly three hundred meters from the finish, leading into the final 350 meters on a straight, eight-meter-wide road. Sticking to the inside lane will be key — it’s the shortest route to the finish! Just ask Tim Merlier, who smartly clinched his first Giro sprint in 2021 in Novara by keeping to the inside. But whether the peloton will appreciate two roundabouts in the final kilometer after a fast finale that included a descent on Tuesday, that remains to be seen...

Climbs
63.1 km: Passo del Bracco (15.2 km at 3.9%)
157.8 km: Montemagno (3.0 km at 4.3%)

Times
Start: 1 PM
Finish: around 5:15 PM

Weather stage 5 Giro d'Italia 2024

The riders can look forward to a sunny day on Wednesday. Temperatures will hover around 21 degrees Celsius at both the start and finish, with gentle sunshine and a northwest wind serving as a tailwind for most of the day.

Favorites stage 5 Giro d'Italia 2024

After two sprints, we already have a fairly clear picture of how the sprinters stack up, with Jonathan Milan's Lidl-Trek train making the most impressive showing so far. The strong Italian consistently takes control of the race with his team, and still has the power to finish strong after a tough finale. Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier, Daan Hoole, Andrea Bagioli, Edward Theuns, Jasper Stuyven and Simone Consonni have the strength to support him well.

Just like Lidl-Trek, Visma | Lease a Bike made the race tough on the uphill stretches on Tuesday, and will have another chance to do so in the first half of Wednesday's stage. This could work to the advantage of sprinter Olav Kooij, who is known as one of the better climbing sprinters in the peloton.

Then there's Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), perhaps the fastest of all in terms of pure speed. The Belgian faced some trouble in the fourth stage but is expected to be ready to sprint again on Wednesday. Fabio Jakobsen of DSM-Firmenich PostNL was the first to really struggle in the previous stage, so stage five might be tough for him again. If Jakobsen falls behind, Tobias Lund Andresen could take his place.

Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) didn't make the top ten in their first sprint opportunity, but on Wednesday they showed that they are in good form, with a second and third place finish respectively. In the same category, there's Alberto Dainese (Tudor), Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE-Team Emirates) and Fernando Gaviria (Movistar), based on their top speed.

Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) and Danny van Poppel (BORA-hansgrohe) tried a different approach with their attack on Capo Mele, but to no avail. They are still hungry for a win in this Giro d'Italia, just like Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla) and Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ). Winning is possible for them, but everything needs to fall into place for that to happen.

Finally, some names we've seen in the mix over the past two days: Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech), Stanislaw Aniolkowski (Cofidis), Giovanni Lonardi (Polti-Kometa), Jenthe Biermans (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Madis Mikhels (Intermarché-Wanty), Max Kanter, Davide Ballerini (Astana Qazaqstan Team) and Enrico Zanoncello of VF Group-Bardiani. If a breakaway does have a chance of success, it could be thanks to riders like Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost) and Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis).

Favorites stage 5 Giro d'Italia 2024, according to IDLProCycling.com

Top favorites: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Outsiders: Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) and Alberto Dainese (Tudor)
Long shots: Fernando Gaviria (Movistar), Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ), Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla), Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech), Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE-Team Emirates), Tobias Lund Andresen, Fabio Jakobsen (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Danny van Poppel (BORA-hansgrohe) and Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers)