In the fifth stage the Giro caravan moves away from the coast and heads from La Spezia to Abetone for the first summit finish. That last climb is long (17.3 km), but has an average gradient of only 5.4%. Yesterday the general classification got shifted a first time, today it’s a short stage again. Does Jurgen Van den Broeck think it will be another spectacular day?

“The Giro is unpredictable and the stages are never really flat, unlike the Tour. Although it surprised me the peloton was decimated so much yesterday. We got an idea of the strength of the riders, but the real cols are still to come. When Porte, Contador and Aru accelerated a first time to catch the survivors of the early breakaway I could close the gap, but the second time it was impossible. I am satisfied with my condition, hopefully it keeps getting better and I recover well after the stages. I expect that on the last climb a selection will be made again today.”