CARUGATE, Italy (AP) — Lorena Wiebes won the group sprint at the finish of the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia Donne on Tuesday while Olympic champion Anna van der Breggen finished safely in the peloton to maintain her big lead in the overall standings.
The flat stage took riders 120 kilometers from Milan and set up perfectly for the sprinters, whose teams controlled the field to prevent any major breakaways. Team DSM lined up its riders in a perfect lead-out for Wiebes, who easily dispatched with second-place Emma Norsgaard and 2012 Olympic champion Marianne Vos to win the stage.
Vos wound up edging Lucinda Brand for the final spot on the podium.
Van der Breggen continues to lead Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio by 2 minutes, 51 seconds as the most prestigious stage race in women's cycling begins its second half. The sixth stage on Wednesday is another flat ride around Lake Como, though potential winds could cause some nervousness in the peloton and prevent another sprint finish.
