Welcome to live coverage of stage five of the Giro d'Italia, an undulating 191-kilometre ride from Piombino to Orvieto featuring the famous chalk white roads which last year, in heavy rain, so memorably turned to sludge.

CRASH: Vasili Kiryienka (Movistar Team) comes down after touching wheels with another rider. He's ok, but it shows just how nervous the riders are out there today...

The first three over the last third-category climb were Kohler, Gianluca Brambilla (Colnago-CSF) and Christophe Le Mevel (Garmin-Cervelo). Brambilla is the current green jersey holder as best climber.

Kohler is maintaining his gap: 7'24" at the latest check.

CRASH: A RadioShack rider and a BMC rider hit the deck on a fast bend. The BMC rider is the USA's Chris Butler. He's back on his bike, but looked pretty shook up.

Impressive crowds out beside the roads of Italy. They love their bike racing, do Italians, but I'm sure the tragic circumstances of the last couple of days have galvanised fans. Yesterday's tribute stage to Wouter Weylandt showed just what a special sport cycling is, and how fervent and loyal are its followers.

Kohler, riding 7'20" out ahead, stretches his legs on a descent. On the back of the peloton, Omega Pharma-Lotto's Sebastian Lang, turning a huge gear, looks to be struggling on a small rise. That seven-man breakaway has been reeled in by the peloton, so it's just the lone Swiss rider out ahead.

Katusha are moving to the front, as are Colnago. The Italian pro continental outfit want to control the lead of the mountains jersey Gianluca Brambilla.

Garmin-Cervelo - including a road-rashed pink jersey David Millar after that freak crash moments earlier - are on the front of the peloton controlling the situation. They won't want those seven riders out ahead to build up too much of a lead. Kohler's lead is down to 7'38".

The five chasing riders have opened up a 30 second gap over the peloton. Two more riders look to join them ahead. Names coming up...

Aramendia is joined by four riders on a descent so there are now five out ahead in pursuit of lone leader Kohler. The first man to catch the Euskaltel rider was Ag2R's Rinaldo Nocentini, who appears to hold one nostril and, ahem, clear his nose in the direction of Aramendia as he passes. We'll forgive him: the Italian has been suffering from bronchitus this week.

Just to note that the three white road sections come with 37km, 25km and 21km to the end of today's stage.

ATTACK: Euskaltel's Francisco Aramendia tries his luck on this early climb. He's opened up a small lead as the peloton adapt to that earlier collision.

That's a sight you hardly ever see. A totally unnecessary crash there - and surely the result of a lot of nervousness from the part of Millar. Vicioso wasn't at fault - he clearly had no idea that Millar was on his left - but the Spaniard did drift to the left of the road, and the collision was inevitable. Vicioso is the more knocked up of the two. Millar has a lot of road rash, but he's back into the peloton now. Drama...

CRASH: Pink jersey David Millar and Angel Vicioso collide and hit the deck while sprinting for the intermediate check. There was six seconds up for grabs for 2nd place behind Kohler and Vicioso, just seven seconds down on Millar on the GC, went hell for leather. Millar took his wheel, but the two knocked shoulders and fell at pace.

Seeing that Kohler is 50 seconds down on the GC, it's unlikely that he'll be able to stay out in front till the finish today. On TV, Sean Kelly just said that for a lone rider to be able to finish ahead on a stage as demanding as today, he'd need a maximum lead of around 20mins. Today, Kohler peaked at 12'30". But with the riders of Androni Giocattoli upping the pace on the front of the peloton - possibly in pursuit of red jersey points for Angel Vicioso - Kohler's lead is dropping.

Kohler is currently riding at 8'45". He's on to the lower slopes of these approaching hills. The Swiss rider passes through the intermediate sprint at Arcidossa to pick up maximum points.

Listen to LIVE commentary from David Harmon and Sean Kelly (this is Eurosport International not British International):

Talking of Sciandri, the BMC directeur sportif has been speaking to Italian TV. Apparently Martin Kohler's attack was planned by the US team, who have identified today's stage as a possible win. Meanwhile, on the front of the peloton it's the Garmin-Cervelo team of David Millar which is setting the pace.

Well done to all of you below who correctly identified Bradley Wiggins as the other British rider -alongside Cavendish and Millar - to wear the pink jersey. For any of you who thought perhaps Max Sciandri was the answer, think again: the Italian born British rider did not take up British citizenship until 1995 and I think his maglia rosa came three years earlier.

The lead is down to nine minutes.

The riders pass through the feeding zone. Soon the climbs will begin.