Pieter Weening takes the pink jersey in a crash filled Stage 5

Pieter Weening held of a charging group the take victory in stage five of the Giro D’Italia and claim the pink jersey.

The Rabobank rider attacked with only 7 km left to go, leaving Martin Kohler and John Gradret in his wake. Gradret and Weening joined forces to track down Kohler, who’d been away since the early stages of the race. The Dutch rider holds the lead by only two seconds in front of Italian Marco Pinotti, after only his second grand tour victory.

Kohler launched his attack after only six kilometres of racing gone, but his solo effort meant he didn’t have the energy to go stay in contact with Weening. The 25-year-old is in only his second Giro, but he was forced out in stage two of the 2010 event after crashing. He managed to build up a lead of almost 12 minutes before the peloton began to reel him back in.

David Millar, who’d started the day off as race leader, was forced to hand the maglia rosa over after crashing during an intermediate sprint. While contesting second place, Kohler had taken first, with Monday’s winner Angel Vicioso the pair touched shoulders. This wasn’t the only crash of the day, as many riders hit the deck during the stage, many caused by the dirt tracks along the route.

Worries for safety were spiked when Weening’s teammate Tom Slagter suffered a severe crash and remained motionless for a long time. Relief spread when television pictures showed him moving his arm a knee, although he has pulled out of the race. After heading to hospital doctors confirmed Slagter had fractured his jaw and required several stitches, for other wounds.

Stage 6 is a 216km rider from Orvieto to Fiuggi.