Nono is back! Weaned from victory since the start of the season, Arnaud Démare returned to winning ways on Wednesday during the fifth stage of the Tour of Italy. The Groupama-FDJ sprinter beat Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) and Giacomo Nizzolo (Israel-Premier Tech) in Messina after 174 kilometers.
Distanced from the peloton in the Portella Mandrazzi, classified in the second category, the Picard, well accompanied by his teammates, managed to return to the front of the race, unlike other sprinters like Mark Cavendish or Caleb Ewan. Beaten by the Briton at Balatonfüred on Sunday, he did not miss his chance and proved intractable in the last 200 meters.
“It was a difficult day. But the sprint went well, it was quite fluid for me even if from the outside it could seem stormy. The guys did a great job and I was patient to make my effort, he debriefed on arrival. We know what we are capable of. In cycling, it is sometimes difficult to put things in place but you have to know how to persevere.
This is his sixth stage victory at the Giro, where Démare had already raised his arms once in 2019 and four times in 2020. At the same time, he takes the lead in the points classification and wears the cyclamen jersey, with 22 points ahead of his runner-up Biniam Girmay. The Spaniard Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) retains the lead in the general classification.