Degenkolb wins fifth stage, Paolini keeps pink

Degenkolb wins fifth stage, Paolini keeps pink

Germany's John Degenkolb of the Argos-Shimano team won a rain-soaked fifth stage of the Giro d'Italia Wednesday, held over 203km from Cosenza to Matera, to claim his first victory in the race.

Germany's John Degenkolb celebrates as he crosses the finish line and wins the fifth stage of 96th Giro d'Italia cycling race in Matera, southern Italy, on May 8, 2013. Degenkolb of the Argos-Shimano team won a rain-soaked fifth stage Wednesday, held over 203km from Cosenza to Matera.

Most of the peloton, including race leader Luca Paolini of Katusha and favourite Bradley Wiggins of Team Sky, were held up by several crashes on a dangerous left-hand corner inside the final 1.5km.

However Paolini, who is not a contender for overall victory, and the rest of the peloton benefited from race rules allowing anyone caught up or delayed by crashes inside the final 3km to be given the same time as the winner.

"I was lucky," said Paolini, a one-day classics specialist.

"I saw the crash and managed to somehow stay on my bike but it was to be expected on a 90-degree turn on a wet road."

Paolini, 36 years old yet making his Giro debut this year, claimed the race lead with victory on stage three.

He will now wear the jersey for a third day on Thursday when the peloton tackles the mainly-flat sixth stage over 169km from Mola di Bari to Margherita di Savoia.

Paolini leads Team Sky's Rigoberto Uran by 17secs with the real contenders for the race's main prize not far behind.

Former Tour of Spain champion Italian Vincenzo Nibali is fourth at 31sec, defending champion Ryder Hesjedal of Canada is fifth at 34sec, Wiggins is sixth with the same deficit and Australian Cadel Evans, a former Tour de France winner, is 10th at 42sec.

Degenkolb, meanwhile, had done well to stay near the front of the peloton as it approached a bend in the road which had been singled out as potentially dangerous.

When a number of riders slid to the ground, it left Marco Canola racing off excitedly on his own hoping to emulate the stage victory of Bardiani teammate Enrico Battaglin on Tuesday.

However the young Italian's bid foundered in the closing 200-metres when Degenkolb dug deep to sweep past.

"It was a hard finish, especially the last kilometre," said the German after winning his maiden stage on the race having won five on the Tour of Spain last year.

"It was super fast and then there was the crash. I saw I had a gap and so I had to go full gas for the last 800-metres.

"I was empty when I hit the line but it's great to win."

Britain's Mark Cavendish, the opening stage winner in Naples, was one of several top sprinters tipped to contend the stage win.

But, like many of his rivals, the Omega-Pharma fast man began sliding towards the back of the peloton as the pace increased on the way up the Montescaglioso climb.

With a number of other teams picking up the pace on the 20km descent to the finish, Cavendish eventually trailed home over six minutes in arrears.

The Manxman, who has 11 Giro stage wins and 23 from the Tour de France, will look to make amends on the flat finish of the sixth stage.

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