 Foerster came home first in a sprint finish |
Gerolsteiner rider Robert Foerster held off the challenge of Thor Hushovd and Alessandro Petacchi to win Thursday's fifth stage of the Giro d'Italia. Mikhail Ignatiev led an early breakaway that lasted 138 of the day's 173km.
Frenchman Mickael Buffaz kept up with him for much of the day before falling away, but in the final stretch the peloton swallowed them both up.
Liquigas rider Danilo Di Luca retains the overall race lead after the stage from Teano to Frascati.
Foerster's time of four hours, 17 minutes, two seconds gave the German the second Giro stage win of his career, the first coming last year.
Friday's 177km sixth stage is from Tivoli to Spoleto in Umbria and the terrain becomes much more mountainous.
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