Rome: Movistar’s Colombian rider Nairo Quintana won the snow-bound fifth stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico on Sunday.
The Colombian, last year’s Giro d’Italia winner and 2013 Tour de France runner-up, finished the 197km stage between Esanatoglia and Terminillo 41 seconds ahead of the chasing peloton to take the race leader’s blue jersey from overnight pace-setter Wouter Poels of the Netherlands.
Crossing in second was Bauke Mollema, who came in a ahead of a group including race favourites Joaquin Rodriguez, Rigoberto Uran and Alberto Contador.
Quintana made a decisive move on the final climb of the day, among those left trailing in his wake the man who won last year’s Tour de France, Vincenzo Nibali.
Quintana leads the overall standings by 39sec from Mollema with Uran at 48sec and France’s Thibault Pinot in fourth.
Poels, successful in Saturday’s fourth stage, folded on the day’s last climb to slip back to tenth in the overall standings at 1min 13sec.
Monday’s sixth and penultimate stage is a 210km ride from Rieti to Porto Saint’Elpidio with the race concluding with Tuesday’s 10km time trial in San Benedetto del Tronto.
