The 5th stage of the Giro Donne took the riders a distance of 109.2 km from Fossacesia to Cerro al Volturno in 35?C (95?F) heat. A six-rider break survived to the finish line, with the stage win going to Noemi Cantele (Bigla Cycling Team). Emma Pooley retained the maglia rosa for another day, and her teammate Claudia H?usler moved up to second in the overall GC.
"Today, a breakaway of 6 riders reached the finish, but our team was in control of the race and did not allow the time gap to go over 2 minutes," said Sports Director Manel Lacambra. "Our goal was not to take the stage win but to defend the maglia rosa, which worked very well. On the cobbles on the final climb we gained some seconds on Mara Abbot which moved Claudia into second in the GC. Tomorrow is another tough stage with two challenging mountains. Our strategy again will be to defend the maglia rosa."
