After an echelon spectacle, Wiebes beats Vos in stage 5 of the Giro Donne, Van der Breggen moves up in GC

A day earlier, the GC had been shaken up after Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal) won the first real uphill finish. Reusser took the leader's jersey, and it was clear that this would not change after Thursday. A sprint was expected in the finish town of Monselice.

Five riders attempted to prevent this early on by launching an attack. With Franziska Brausse (CERATIZIT), Katia Ragusa (Human Powered Health), Asia Zontone (Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria), Alice Bulegato, and Sara Luccon (Top Girls Fassa Bortolo), there was one German and four Italians. The peloton gave them a lead of about three minutes.

It looked like we were heading for a very boring stage, but the wind had other ideas. With just over fifty kilometers to go, we saw the peloton break up when the echelon battle began. Lotte Kopecky, Wiebes, and Reusser were in the first peloton, while Gigante, among others, had missed the break. At the front, that was also the moment when Brausse said goodbye to her four Italian breakaway companions.

The pace remained high after that. A crash caused a split in the peloton, which could not be bridged. At the front, the riders took turns while the peloton behind seemed to be struggling to catch up with the group in front.

Twenty riders were eventually able to stay in the front group, which included Kopecky, Wiebes, and Reusser. Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike), Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), and Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) were also there, making it a group of favorites.

In the sprint, it was once again Wiebes who was well positioned. After an excellent lead-out, the Dutch rider won with apparent ease. The team had a successful day overall, as Van der Breggen also rejoined the battle for the GC.