AUSTRALIAN MICHAEL MATTHEWS (Orica-GreenEdge) won stage five of the Tour of Spain on Wednesday, edging out Maximiliano Ariel Recheze (Lampre) and Gianni Meersman (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) in a sprint finish.
Giro d’Italia winner Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) continues to lead the overall classification from Chris Horner (RadioShack) and Nicolas Roche (Saxo) as all the contenders registered the same time in the 174-km ride from Sober to Lago de Sanabria.
Roche finished 16th in today’s race, ahead of Horner (22nd) and Nibali (35th).
Dan Martin, meanwhile, came 79th, meaning he is now 31st in the overall standings.
Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy.