Visma's Reef satisfied after brutal stage 5, but where were Vingegaard's Paris-Nice winter tights?

Visma | Lease a Bike looked back on stage five of the Giro d'Italia with a sense of quiet satisfaction on Wednesday. The Dutch squad had sent Victor Campenaerts into the breakaway, and for a moment it looked as though something was being hatched with Jonas Vingegaard. In the end, though, the Dane never had to get involved.

Stage five unfolded as a pure battle of attrition. As if the 203 kilometres and 3,724 metres of climbing were not enough, the rain came down in sheets all day. Rain, hail, thunderstorms — the riders had everything thrown at them.

"The conditions were extremely challenging — heavy rain, hail, and at times we even saw mudslides on the roads," sporting director Marc Reef told IDL Pro Cycling afterwards, dry and warm beside the team buses.

For the GC men and Vingegaard, the final 50 kilometres in particular were hellish. After the steep ascent of the Montagna Grande di Viggiano, the pace dropped completely and only pink jersey holder Giulio Ciccone was left struggling alone at the front.

"Especially on that final 20-kilometre descent, once the pace had died off at the summit, the riders got extremely cold," Reef noted — before breaking into a laugh when asked whether Vingegaard's famous winter tights from Paris-Nice had been packed. "Ha! No! But we got through the day just fine."

And that is precisely what the opening phase of the Giro d'Italia is all about: getting through without losing unnecessary energy. Campenaerts' presence in the front group in stage five was more about precaution than genuine ambition.

"Victor went in the break initially to see whether he could be of any use after the final climb. But he didn't have the legs to stay with the front group, so that ended quickly. Still, Sepp Kuss and Davide Piganzoli were with Jonas throughout the climb and after it. It was all fine," Reef said.

On Thursday a new challenge awaits Vingegaard and his teammates.