Stage 5 Ceglie Messapica - Matera (151.0km)
The fifth stage of the Giro d'Italia keeps the peloton in the heel of Italy. The stage on Wednesday is a bit more difficult than the one on Tuesday, even though both stages have just one fourth-category climb.
The fifth stage in this Giro counts 145 kilometers and departs from Ceglie Messapica, a town that - as you might guess from the name - has roots in ancient Greece. From Ceglie Messapica follows a relatively flat approach to the finale, where it does become quite hilly.
From Metaponto - the riders will have been riding along the coast for a long time - it gets challenging. At 30 kilometers from the finish lies the climb to Montescaglioso (2.8 km at 8.6%). The stage will probably not be decided here yet, although this is where the only mountain points of the day can be earned.
After a short descent follows a 7.1-kilometer-long, ascending stretch to the Castle in Tramontano. The average gradient here is 3.5%. Will riders really start to drop off here? That remains to be seen. In any case, it lends itself to attacks.
In Matera itself, there's still a climb of 7.9% with a length of 700 meters. The top of that is only 1.7 kilometers from the finish, so it will be an interesting finale in Matera, where Arnaud Démare managed to win five years ago.
| Date | Wednesday 14 May |
| Start |  Ceglie Messapica |
| Finish | Matera |
| Distance | 151.0 km |
| Elevation gain | 1550 m |
| Start time | 13:35 |
| Expected finish | 17:05 |
Stage 5 Ceglie Messapica - Matera (151.0km)
The fifth stage of the Giro d'Italia keeps the peloton in the heel of Italy. The stage on Wednesday is a bit more difficult than the one on Tuesday, even though both stages have just one fourth-category climb.
The fifth stage in this Giro counts 145 kilometers and departs from Ceglie Messapica, a town that - as you might guess from the name - has roots in ancient Greece. From Ceglie Messapica follows a relatively flat approach to the finale, where it does become quite hilly.
From Metaponto - the riders will have been riding along the coast for a long time - it gets challenging. At 30 kilometers from the finish lies the climb to Montescaglioso (2.8 km at 8.6%). The stage will probably not be decided here yet, although this is where the only mountain points of the day can be earned.
After a short descent follows a 7.1-kilometer-long, ascending stretch to the Castle in Tramontano. The average gradient here is 3.5%. Will riders really start to drop off here? That remains to be seen. In any case, it lends itself to attacks.
In Matera itself, there's still a climb of 7.9% with a length of 700 meters. The top of that is only 1.7 kilometers from the finish, so it will be an interesting finale in Matera, where Arnaud Démare managed to win five years ago.