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Tirreno-Adriatico 2018: Adam Yates wins stage five as Michal Kwiatkowski claims race lead

Brit grabs first win of 2018 season just one day after twin brother Simon's Paris-Nice stage success

Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) soloed to victory on stage five of Tirreno-Adriatico, just a day after twin brother Simon secured his first WorldTour win of the season on stage seven of Paris-Nice.

Caught behind the crash which marred the end of stage two, and surrendering his overall ambitions as a result, Yates made amends by accelerating away from an elite front group on the Muro di Filottrano.

He had already showed his form on stage three, when his late counter-attack on the route to Trevi was not quite enough to catch stage winner Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo).

This time out, however, he was not to be denied – building up a lead on the final climb that never looked like being overhauled.

World champion Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) finished second, while Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) was third – the latter taking over the race lead as a result.

Adam Yates attacked on the final climb to win stage five of Tirreno-Adriatico 2018 (Pic: Sirotti)

On a stage dedicated to Michele Scarponi, there was no surprise to see compatriot and former team-mate Dario Cataldo (Astana) in the breakaway, joined by Igor Boeve (Gazprom-RusVelo), Kristijan Koren (Bahrain-Merida), Steve Morabito (Groupama-FDJ) and Iljo Keisse (QuickStep Floors).

With little interest in the intermediate sprints or climbs, however, the group’s advantage – which stood at six minutes at its maximum, was soon whittled down.

Mitchelton-Scott and Team Sky both pulled in the peloton, and swept up most off the break with more than 10km still to race.

Cataldo put in one last dig to keep Astana at the front of the race, and pay his tribute to Scarponi, but he too was swept up before the final climb.

When the peloton did hit the climb, Yates wasted little time setting his stall out, powering away from the front group which contained the usual mix of GC hopefuls and rouleurs hunting stage wins.

With Yates powering clear, it was the team-mates of one of the latter – Sagan – who set abut trying to reel him back and under the flame rouge there was just ten seconds in it.

The Brit never looked like surrendering that advantage as the road kicked up, however, and short-lived attacks by Mikel Landa (Movistar) and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) also came to nothing behind him.

It meant he was able to sit up and celebrate his first win of the 2018 season – and just second on the UCI WorldTour following his 2015 Clasica San Sebastian victory.

Michal Kwiatkowski is the new race leader after finishing third to snatch valuable bonus seconds (Pic: Sirotti)

Behind him, Sagan led home the sprint for second, but Kwiatkowski claimed third place and enough bonus seconds to overhaul overnight leader Damiano Caruso’s slender advantage.

The Pole now leads the BMC Racing man by three seconds, with stage four winner Landa third at 23 seconds.

With a sprint stage and a time trial still to come, Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) also remains in the hunt for a podium finish at 29 seconds back, while Yates moved up to sixth at 36 seconds.

Tirreno-Adriatico 2018: stage five – result

1) Adam Yates (GBR) – Mitchelton-Scott – 4.16.35hrs
2) Peter Sagan (SVK) – Bora-hansgrohe +7”
3) Michal Kwiatkowski (POL) – Team Sky – ST
4) Tiesj Benoot (BEL) – Lotto-Soudal
5) Rigoberto Uran (COL) – EF-Drapac
6) Geraint Thomas (GBR) – Team Sky
7) Mikel Landa (ESP) – Movistar
8) Jaime Roson (ESP) – Movistar
9) Romain Bardet (FRA) – Ag2r-La Mondiale
10) Damiano Caruso (ITA) – BMC Racing

General classification

1) Michal Kwiatkowski (POL) – Team Sky – 21.31.28hrs
2) Damiano Caruso (ITA) – BMC Racing +3”
3) Mikel Landa (ESP) – Movistar +23”
4) Geraint Thomas (GBR) – Team Sky +29”
5) Rigoberto Uran (COL) – Team EF-Drapac +34”
6) Adam Yates (GBR) – Mitchelton-Scott +36”
7) Davide Formolo (ITA) – Bora-hansgrohe +37”
8) Tiesj Benoot (BEL) – Lotto-Soudal +39”
9) George Bennett (NZL) – LottoNL-Jumbo +41”
10) Jaime Roson (ESP) – Movistar +47”

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