Fernando Gaviria sprints to Stage 5 victory, Bob Jungels retains pink jersey

Gaviria, the 22-year-old Quick-Step Floor sprinter making ripples on his Grand Tour debut, once again proved his pedigree by surging past Irishman Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) on the home straight of the 159km stage from Pedara in Sicily.

An emphatic finish from Jakub Mareczko of Wilier-Selle Italia saw the Italian youngster pip Bennett for second place and deny German veteran Andre Greipel of Lotto Soudal. If stage two winner Greipel had to settle for fourth place then Australian pocket-rocket Caleb Ewan fared far worse, the Orica-Scott sprinter unable to find his grove and finishing well outside the top ten.

With all the general classification favourites finishing comfortably in the peloton, Jungels, the Luxembourg national champion, retained his six-second lead over Welshman Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) in the overall standings.

Having worn the maglia rosa for one day himself following his victory in stage three, Gaviria’s victory and strong showing in the day’s intermediate sprints saw the Colombian snatch the maglia ciclamino and build a commanding lead over Greipel at the top of the points classification.

The conclusion to a rolling stage – taking the riders from the shadow of Mount Etna to the picturesque contours of the Sicilian coastline – included a circuit race on the streets of Messina. And as the riders crossed the line for the first time – with 5.9km and one lap remaining – one rider thought he had upset the odds with an unexpected, not to say inexplicably easy, victory.

But soon after Slovenia’s Luka Pibernik – a Bahrain-Merida team-mate of local hero Vincenzo Nibali – raised his hands in celebration, he realised his error as the rampaging pack zipped past him, readying themselves for the actual finish that was still to come.

Two riders broke clear from the gun, with Russia’s Evgeny Shalunev (Gazprom-Rusvelo) and Poland’s Maciej Paterski (CCC Sprandi) quickly building up a maximum lead of four minutes over the pack.

Collaborating well, Shalunov took the points over the only categorised climb of the day before Paterski led the duo through the two intermediate sprints. Behind, Quick-Step Floors delivered their man Gaviria to third place in both sprints as the Colombian edged ahead of Greipel in the virtual maglia ciclamino standings.

On a warm and sunny day of little drama, the escapees were swept up with 15km remaining as the teams of the GC riders and sprinters jostled for positions on the front of the pack. Australian Rory Sutherland (Movistar) crashed with 8km remaining - but later tests showed no serious damage to Nairo Quintana's loyal domestique.

The hapless Pibernik thought he’d emulated Lukas Postlberger – the surprise winner of Friday’s opening stage – by riding clear of the peloton on what he thought was the home straight. But an absence of photographers capturing his serene celebrations over the line probably gave the game away, and the Slovenian youngster was brought back to earth by the peloton speeding past.

If the Lotto Soudal and Quick-Step teams of Greipel and Gaviria readied their trains entering the final kilometre, it was Bora’s Bennett who was out of the traps the fastest. Back after a bout of gastroenteritis, the Irishman came close to winning a maiden Grand Tour scalp, but he was passed by Gaviria with just metres to spare.

Meanwhile, Mareczko – by far the fastest finisher – came from nowhere to take second place and draw a line through his disappointing showing in Sardinia. Greipel could only manage fourth with fellow German Phil Bauhaus (Team Sunweb) completing the top five. There was no sign of Ewan, however; the Australian eventually came home in 23rd place.

Fernando Gaviria – A second stage win, two intermediate sprints and the cyclamen jersey: need we say any more? It’s clear that the Colombian is taking to this Grand Tour malarkey like the proverbial duck to water.

Luka Pibernik – He thought he had taken a second successive win for Slovenia in the home town of his team leader, Vincenzo Nibali. Instead, the 23-year-old simply ensured that he’ll be the butt of all jokes at the Bahrain Merida team dinner… for quite a few days coming. Still, Pibernik came closer to a maiden Giro stage win than Ewan, in all fairness.

“I’m happy with these two victories,” said an ecstatic Gaviria after celebrating with his family. “The legs are now responding the way we wanted. This victory isn’t just for me; it’s for my team and my family and everyone that supported me. My family is here and it’s beautiful to give them this gift. The whole team worked perfectly. We were able to take the win here, now we’ll leave the islands and head to the mainland and we’ll see what happens.”

Pibernik may have come up short, but there was one Bahrain Merida rider who made the podium after defending champion Nibali saluted his home crowds in Messina.

The race crosses the Strait of Messina and hits mainland Italy for the 217km stage six from Reggio Calabria to Terme Luigiane. Two categorised climbs, some flat drags and a rolling finale conclude with a steep uphill ramp to the finish that will suit the puncheurs. The GC riders will have to be on their toes to avoid being caught out in any splits.