Visma's Van Kerckhove shows racing instinct to win Giro Next Gen stage 5 and pink jersey

Matisse Van Kerckhove won the fifth stage of the Giro Next Gen. The Belgian rider from Visma | Lease a Bike demonstrated his tactical racing acumen on a hilly course by riding into the lead group and making a clever breakaway. He beat Nicolò Arrighetti (General Store - Essegibi) in the sprint, taking the pink jersey at the same time.

When might the Giro Next Gen standings be shaken up? Jasper Schoofs had taken the lead in the third stage and maintained his advantage in the fourth stage, but on day five, things could very well change. The circuit on the Bacoli Peninsula was hilly and winding... A perfect course for a stunning upset.

The breakaway group consisted of strong riders. Among others, Matthew Dodd (Netcompany INEOS), Mattia Negrente (XDS Astana), Jurgen Zomermaand (Picnic PostNL), and Jesper Stiansen (Tudor) were at the front of the pack. Dodd (wearer of the mountains jersey) and Negrente were both 13 points behind the pink jersey, posing a serious threat.

That’s why the peloton never let them get more than two minutes ahead. The course was grueling—that much became clear right away. The question was more just how grueling it would be. The attackers certainly sensed their chance. For example, we saw Patryk Goszczurny (Visma | Lease a Bike) make a break with about forty kilometers to go. The Polish talent showed off his descending skills, but struggled a bit with the gap.

He was caught when U23 world champion Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) launched his attack 30 kilometers from the finish. The Italian pushed hard, tearing the peloton apart. Among those who kept up were Aubin Sparfel (Decathlon CMA CGM), Mateo Ramírez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), and Matisse Van Kerckhove (Visma | Lease a Bike), but pink jersey wearer Schoofs couldn’t keep up.

However, the top favorites didn’t push the pace all the way, so the field came back together. Meanwhile, the breakaway group was still ahead. Amid the uncertainty, Federico Savino (Soudal Quick-Step) broke away, and Van Kerckhove also managed to break away from the pack: the race was wide open! With one lap to go (17 kilometers), anything could happen, as the breakaway still had a lead of about 30 seconds over the peloton.

Van Kerckhove caught up with the leading group, and suddenly we had six riders in the lead: unfortunately, Zomermaand had dropped back. The Belgian then pushed hard on the climbs, but the peloton was twenty counts behind. Then Finn accelerated again. He rode full speed ahead and caught up to the leading group in one go, with Ramírez and Sparfel on his wheel.

With the top favorites at the front, doubts arose once again. Finn, in particular, seemed nervous, and Van Kerckhove noticed. He pushed on and was joined by Nicolò Arrighetti (General Store - Essegibi), one of the day’s early breakaway riders. Finn was then caught by a large chasing group, but could they catch up to the two leaders? The two leaders were working well together.

On the climbs, the chasers were clearly stronger, but they wouldn’t give each other an inch. The gap could be closed, but by whom? It didn’t happen on the climbs, and the lead was consolidated on the descent. The two would battle it out head-to-head: Van Kerckhove made the first move and managed to hold off his Italian rival by a narrow margin. It was a double victory for the Belgian, as the peloton lost 12 seconds.