Giro Rosa stage 5: Vos takes sprint finish in Terracina

Marianne Vos (CCC-Liv) celebrated her second stage win of the Giro Rosa on Tuesday.

The Dutch puncheur outsprinted a reduced bunch into Terracina today. She was joined on the podium by Lotte Kopecky (Lotto Soudal) and Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo). Annemiek van Vleuten retains the pink jersey.

Stage five of the Italian race seemed tailor-made for Vos, who also sprinted to victory in stage three. The 110.3-kilometer stage featured two climbs, one after 50 km of racing and the second at the 80-kilometer mark in Monte San Biagio. The heat was a factor, with temperatures nearing 90F degrees.

The first climb, the category two ascent of Madonna della Civita, saw the bunch reduced to just over fifty riders. On the climb, Danish rider Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig was the first to break away.

On the second and last climb of the day, Trek-Segafredo’s Elisa Longo Borghini attacked with 20 kilometers to go. At one point, the Italian had a 20-second advantage. However, with three kilometers to go, Longo Borghini was brought back to the group.

CCC-Liv team director Jeroen Blijlevens credited the team with ushering Vos to victory.

“That’s why we put the team in front on the first climb of the second category,” said the team’s director Jeroen Blijlevens. “We increased the pace at eight kilometers from the top, which thinned out the group and dropped many sprinters. The pace remained high in the final and the team then perfectly positioned Marianne.”