Quaranta sprints to stage win

Quaranta (far left) wins the fifth stage

Click here for stage and overall results

Former world junior champion Ivan Quaranta sprinted home to win the fifth stage of the Giro d'Italia on Thursday.

But fellow Italian Dario Frigo of the Fassa Bortolo team retained the leader's pink jersey.

Quaranta, of the Alexia team, beat veteran compatriot Mario Cipollini in a sprint finish at the end of a 229km stage, held between Avellino and Nettuno.

Another Italian, Moreno Di Biase, came in third ahead of Dutchman Jeron Blijlevens and Slovenia's Zoran Klemencic.

Italians featured prominently throughout the fifth stage.

Michele Gobbi and Davide Casarotto broke away from the pack 60km out to grab an eight-minute lead over the peloton only to be reeled in just 10km from the finish.

Quaranta, who had been outclassed in the four previous stage sprints, won the sprint finish from the pack to claim his fifth career stage victory in the Giro d'Italia.

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Giro d'Italia: fifth stage results (229km from Avellino to Nettuno)

1. Ivan Quaranta (Ita) Alexia 5hrs 29m 16secs
2. Mario Cipollini (Ita) same time
3, Moreno Di Biase (Ita)
4. Jeroen Bljlevens (Netherlands)
5. Zoran Klemencic (Slo)
6. Marco Zanotti (Ita)
7. Damian Nazon (Fra)
8. Endrio Leoni (Ita)
9. Enrico Degano (Ita)
10. Massimo Strazzer (Ita)
11. Ief Verbrugghe (Bel)
12. Danilo Hondo (Ger)
13. Matteo Carrara (Ita)
14. Ruben Marin Valencia (Col)
15. Vladimir Duma (Ukr)

Selected:
44. Dario Frigo (Ita)
47. Ivan Gotti (Ita)
84. Jan Ullrich (Ger)
158. Rik Verbrugghe (Bel)

Overall Standings:

1. Dario Frigo (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 22hrs 50mins 35secs
2. Abraham Olano (Spa) 12secs behind
3. Gilberto Simoni (Ita) 13
4. Wladimir Belli (Ita) 17
5. Jose' Azevedo (Por) 19
6. Giuseppe Di Grande (Ita) 25
7. Jan Hruska (Cze) 28
8. Vladimir Duma (Ukr) 33
9. Oskar Camenzind (Swi) 35
10. Gabriele Colombo (Ita) 38
11. Andre Noe' (Ita) 42
12. Sergej Gontchar (Ukr) 47
13. Danilo Di Luca (Ita) 48
14. Stefano Garzelli (Ita) 57
15. Ivan Gotti (Ita) 1min 2secs
16. Giuliano FiguerasI(ta) 1m 3s
17. Unai Osa Eizaguirre (Spa) 1m 6s
18. Marco Pantani (Ita) 1m 9s
19. Marco Velo (Ita) 1m 15s
20. Paolo Lanfranchi (Ita) Mapei 1m 25s

Selected:
54. Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) 4m 27s
78. Jan Ullrich (Ger) 10m 57s