Tirreno-Adriatico stage 5: Warren Barguil climbs to win from breakaway

Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic) took the win on stage 5 of the 2022 Tirreno Adriatico.

From the remains of the successful breakaway, Xandro Meurisse (Fenix-Alpecin), and Simone Velasco (Astana-Qazaqstan) heled on for second and third on the stage, respectively.

“It’s amazing, I was planning to make the finish because it was a good race, a good finish for me. I had the feeling today would be a good day for
the break,” Barguil said. “I had good legs on the climb… I was waiting for the good moment, at one point the speed was going down and then I made the move from the back.”

“Today, I thought it was a one-day race and I have given everything,” Barguil said. “It’s very nice to have a victory at this level.”

While chasing after Barguil, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) went off-course and had to chase back onto the rear of a reduced group that followed the lead group to the line.

This was Barguils’s best performance in nearly five years.

“You have to manage in the breakaway, play it tactical and be smart. You don’t have to be the strongest,” Barguil added.

Withdrawals and abandons of note over the previous day have been Mark Padun (EF Education-EasyPost) and Olympic champion Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers).

How it happened

A dozen riders had gone up the road after battling to get away in the first hour of racing. The best-placed rider in the front group is Frenchman Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis), who was placed 12th on the GC, 1:08 behind Pogačar, at the start of the stage.

With 2:25 advantage at 75km to go, the twelve on the front had UAE Team Emirates leading a half-hearted pursuit, while Julian Alaphilippe and Remco Evenpoel (both Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) kept a close eye on Pogačar and his squad.

The gap continued to stretch out and with 60km to go, the advantage was nearly 3:30 before contracting to three minutes and then ballooning to nearly four minutes with 30km left to race on the stage.

Barguil launched a massive attack at 21km from the front of the break, and Thomas responded, while the breakaway that had worked so well, earlier, came apart.

This gambit netted the two French riders as much as 12 seconds on the struggling breakaway into the second and final finishing circuit at 18.5km from the finish.

Race leaders off-course

The breakaway re-formed, having brought back the French duo, and became seven on the front racing two minutes ahead of Pogačar’s group.

As Barguil and Thomas recovered from their attack, Nelson Oliveira (Movistar Team) lead the break into the final 10km.

Evenepoel attacked at 8km to go, with Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), Pogačar, and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) going with this move. Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) was late to respond and chased to get back on terms with the hot pursuit, just as this elite bunch went off-course.

Quickly realizing they were headed in the wrong direction, this group slowed and turned around, and ultimately did not cost Pogačar and Evenepoel their podium positions.

With just 5km remaining, Barguil attacked again, and this time Valentin Ferron (TotalEnergies) tried to go with him to form another all-French duo.

Some 1,500m later, Barguil dropped Ferrand into the final 3km on the steepest part of the final climb, where the road was barely one-car wide, on a surface of cobbles and pavers.

As Barguil wrenched his bike to the top and over the line for the win, Thymen Arensman (Team DSM) managed to put enough time into Vingegaard to displace the Dane from the overall podium.