Afonso Eulálio moved into the Maglia Rosa after a remarkable ride on Stage 5 of the Giro d’Italia, finishing second in Potenza after spending the day in the breakaway.
The 203km stage from Praia a Mare to Potenza delivered one of the first major tests of this year’s Giro, with a hard stage through Calabria and Basilicata, wet conditions throughout the day, and the Montagna Grande di Viggiano as the key climb before the final run towards Potenza. Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) won the stage, with Eulalio finishing second, two seconds behind, while Guillermo Thomas Silva (Astana Qazaqstan Team) completed the podium.
The stage was active almost immediately. With around 185km still to go, the breakaway began to form after an acceleration from the peloton, and Eulálio was quick to react and follow the move. The opening kilometres remained unsettled, with several attacks and regroupings before the breakaway finally went clear.
Eulálio spent much of the day at the front of the race, staying present as the group reduced over the climbs and through the rain. As the stage moved into its decisive phase, he reached Arrieta at the head of the race with around 50km to go, putting himself in contention for stage result and the overall lead.
The final kilometres brought more drama on the wet roads. Arrieta crashed while leading, some kms after Eulalio also went down and needed a bike change. The team car reacted quickly, allowing the Portuguese rider to get moving again and rejoin the fight at the front of the race.
The two came back together in the closing kilometres, before Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) missed a corner and Eulalio briefly went clear again. The Portuguese rider launched the sprint in the final 500 metres, but Arrieta came back on track, sprinting straight to take the stage victory, with Eulalio crossing the line in second place.
The result was enough for Eulálio to move into the overall lead of the Giro d’Italia and take the Maglia Rosa, finishing off a long day at the front of the race. He will start tomorrow’s stage from Paestum to Napoli wearing the leader’s jersey.
Speaking after the stage, Eulálio said:
“I don’t really know how I feel. It was a crazy day. With around 50km to go, on the steep climb, I went all in with Arrieta for the victory. From there, the race became super crazy, especially on the descent. He crashed, then I went alone thinking about the stage and the pink jersey, but then I also crashed and we came back together again. In the final, we both went all in for the victory. I tried to sprint, but in the end it was not really a sprint because we were both going so slowly after such a hard day. Of course, I wanted the stage win, but I am super happy with the pink jersey. Last year I arrived in the world tour, and now I am wearing the maglia rosa at the Giro d’Italia. It is crazy.
The weather was really intense today. Normally I like days like this, but today it was too much. It was not only rain and cold — there was also hail, and in that moment it was really painful on the body. But in the final, you don’t think too much. You are just suffering, trying to stay focused, and thinking about the victory.
I also wanted to win today because I have a deal with Damiano. He told me that if I win two stages, he will sign one more year. I was thinking, ‘if I win today, I only need to win one more.’ But I finished second, so now I still need to win two. Maybe I will try to speak with him and change the deal — if I keep the pink jersey for some days, maybe he will sign.
I think I will only realise tomorrow what this means, when I start the stage in the pink jersey with my teammates. The team was really good today, and after the crash they were super fast with the bike change. We stayed together, and now to start tomorrow with this jersey will be really special for all of us.
In my town, people already know me and follow me, but now with the pink jersey, for sure more people in Portugal will be watching and following. I hope they feel proud. I am really happy for that”
Sports Director Franco Pellizotti added:
“We are super happy about the pink jersey. We started the stage with the idea of being in the breakaway and trying to make the most of the day, and in the end Afonso was there fighting for the victory. Maybe the stage win together with the pink jersey would have been the cherry on the cake, but he was really strong today. There were a few mistakes in the final, but it was a nice finish to watch from the car. In the end, we are happy because we have the pink jersey now, and also with this gap for the next days. We are super proud of him. After the crash, he had to change the bike because something broke, and the team did a very fast job with the bike change.”
The stage results also moved Eulálio into the lead of the young rider classification, adding the Maglia Bianca to an unforgettable day for the Portuguese rider and the team.
It rounded off a strong day for the team, with Phil Bauhaus also sprinting to third place on the opening stage of the Tour of Hungary:
“I’m happy to be back on the podium. It’s my first podium of the year, so I’m really pleased about that.
We didn’t start the stage in the best way, as both Nikias and I crashed, but luckily we were okay.
After that, the team did a really good job. It was quite a straightforward finale and we found each other well in the lead-out. Alessandro and I were together inside the final 500 metres, and he managed to bring me onto Tim Merlier’s wheel.
When he launched his sprint, I was already quite on the limit and couldn’t really hold his wheel, so third place was the maximum for me today.”
Unfortunately our leader Jakob Omrzel crashed inside the final km. He was able to cross the finish line and, thankfully, it appears he suffered only bruises, though he will undergo further evaluation later on.
