Weening cycles to lead in Giro d'Italia
Pieter Weening raced solo the final six miles to win Wednesday's fifth stage of the Giro d'Italia and take race's overall lead.
The Rabobank rider covered the 118-mile stage from Piombino to Orvieto in four hours 54 minutes and 49 seconds. He finished eight seconds ahead of Fabio Duarte, who outsprinted Jose Perez in third.
"For me, this is a perfect day," Weening said. "I felt good at the end and before I attacked.
"This is the biggest win in my career and I will try to defend the pink jersey as long as I can. Now I hope to fly for the next two weeks."
Weening took the pink jersey from David Millar after the Briton faded on the final climb to finish 2:50 behind. Millar had earlier fallen following a collision with Angel Vicioso, but both riders quickly remounted and got back in the race.
"It was a silly fall," Millar said. "I was suffering with my allergies today and, for some reason, nothing seemed to work."
Three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador was seventh in the stage and sits ninth overall, 30 seconds behind Weening.
"It was quite a dangerous course today," Contador said. "[Vincenzo] Nibali attacked on the first dirt track section.
"But [he] was on the descent and I did not want to take any risks there. We would have caught him anyway and I felt strong throughout the course.
"On the last climb, I simply focused on not losing a second. I had everything more or less under control."
Also on Wednesday, Leopard-Trek announced it had set up a foundation in honor of Wouter Weylandt, the Belgian cyclist who died in a high-speed crash on Monday. The team said money raised will go to help support his pregnant girlfriend, Sophie Anne, who is due to give birth in September.
Also, Giro organizers promised to inspect a new section of the race's route in response to riders' concerns following Weylandt's death. The descent of the Col de Crostis on the 14th stage on May 21 has never been used in the Giro and is partially unpaved.
During Wednesday's race, Martin Kohler made an early attack after seven miles to lead by 11:50 before he was caught by Weening and Jean Cadret. Riders had to contend with three dirt sections toward the end of the stage, allowing the peleton to close the gap on Kohler, who faded badly.
Soon after Weening and Cadret caught Kohler, the Dutchman took the initiative and began stretching his lead. He lost ground at the start of the ascent to the finish, but the peleton left him free to come home first.
Dutch rider Tom Slagter fell about 8 miles from the finish when he mistakenly tried to take a water bottle from a Euskaltel Euskadi masseur, who was wearing the same colors as his Rabobank team.
He immediately received attention, stayed conscious and was moving his arm. He received medical attention and was taken away by an ambulance.
Thursday's stage covers 133.9 miles from Orvieto to Fiuggi. The Giro concludes in Milan on May 29.