Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) secured his second win in this year’s Giro with a brutal display of power in a late sprint that saw him over the line a good few bike lengths ahead of the rest of the race. Team Sky picked up second place with Elia Viviani, while Giacomo Nizzolo of Trek-Segafredo came in third. As expected, the win put Kittel into the maglia rosa, the first German to wear it in 10 years.

Rider of the Race

Fabio Sabatini signing in at the start of the stage – and he was at the sharp end of it as well 

It was a fast paced, nervy race, spattered with crashes, and led for a long time by a dogmatic four-man breakaway and required careful management. Etixx-Quickstep did just that, judging their charge perfectly, and it was Fabio Sabatini who dropped off the ArgoSunGod in prime position to deliver the coup de grace. The Steppers made taking the maglia rosa look like a formality, when it was anything but. They had a job to do, and the moment Sabatini peeled off on the final bend, it was done, perfectly. They even left Pat Lefevere speechless! (He did, however, go on to say quite a bit, so he was only without words for about 10 seconds!)

Extra heartbeats

The beauty of a home crowd means you can bring your kids to the podium! 

It’s always great to see a home favourite do well – and today was no exception. JumboBee Maartin Tjallingii took the maglia azzura from the shoulders of Omar Fraile during his breakaway exploits today. The cheers from the crowd at the podium presentation told you everything you needed to know about this fabulous weekend of racing – Tjallingii said in the post-race interview that he felt like he had ‘extra heartbeats’ riding through the cheering crowds. The Dutch crowds have certainly done the Giro proud – and the Giro has returned the favour.

Well wishes for Jean-Christophe Peraud

The nerves, wind, and pace of today’s stage contributed to a number of crashes, the worst of which was a nasty faceplant for Jean-Christophe Peraud about halfway through the stage. Riding very close to the front of the race, he was clipped by a falling teammate ahead and went down hard. After a few minutes receiving treatment to facial wounds at the roadside, he was taken off to hospital and was forced to become the first rider to abandon this year’s race. It was doubly poignant in that this was Peraud’s first Giro – and the tears told the story. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Stage results

1 Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) 4:23:45

2 Elia Viviani (Team Sky) same time

3 Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo) s/t

4 Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) s/t

5 Alexander Porsev (Katusha) s/t

GC standings

1 Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep) 9:13:10

2 Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) +0.09

3 Andrey Amador (Movistar) +0.15

4 Tobias Ludvigsson (Giant-Alpecin) +0.17

5 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) +0.21

All the jerseys

Leader’s jersey: Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep)

Points jersey: Marcel Kittel (Etixx-QuickStep)

KOM jersey: Maarten Tjallingii (LottoNL-Jumbo)

Best young rider: Tobias Ludvigsson (Giant-Alpecin)

For full review of the stage, go to CyclingNews

Header image: ©Getty Images/Corbis Sport/Tim de Waele