The slightly uphill sprint finish of the 203km Stage 5 of Giro d'Italia came down to a lone rider, John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) taking up the chase in the final km to pass an attacking Marco Canola (Bardiani) and win the stage. There was also a crash near the flamme rouge that complicated the approach to the finish.

However, the Omega Pharma-Quick Step duo Michal Golas and Matteo Trentin were able to stay close to the front going into the finale, avoiding the crash. Trentin finished 5th, and Golas 11th.

"I was just behind the crash of Luka Mezgec (Argos-Shimano) and I don't know how I was able to stay upright," Golas said. "It was really a question of millimetres avoiding the crash. After the crash, two or three guys went away and it was basically impossible to bring them back. It's a shame because I had a good feeling the entire day, but crashes are part of racing. My condition is good and I am motivated to find another occasion during the Giro."

Trentin was 5th at the finish, earning his first UCI WorldTour Top 5 placing.

"When Mezgec crashed I was lucky that I was coming from behind," Trentin said. "I had time to avoid the crash as riders fell in the middle of the road. Coming from behind I had good speed and I entered in the group of Golas at about 350 meters to go. I launched my sprint maybe a little bit too early, and I couldn't do better than 5th place. I'm happy about my finish, as this is my best yet in a WorldTour race. Probably with a more attentive sprint I could have finished 4th, but it wouldn't have changed much. Tomorrow I will return to work for Cavendish in a stage that suits him and the team perfectly."