"Defend the jersey, Ilit will be difficult, but we will certainly try" - Lennard Kämna set to give his all in defence of Tirreno-Adriatico lead

Having taken the overall lead at Tirreno-Adriatico following stage 4, Lennard Kämna is determined to not give away the leaders jersey without a fight.

"We tried to sit in the front and drive actively, react to attacks. At the end it was just full throttle,” the 26-year-old BORA-hansgrohe man revealed following the stage. “I hadn't seen that the climb was so tough. It wasn't until we crossed it for the first time that I was sure it was really tough and saw an opportunity to take over the jersey. I gave everything to lose as little time as possible.”

With stage winner Primoz Roglic just six seconds in arrears of Kamna, the German knows he faces an uphill battle to retain the race lead with another summit finish to come. Nevertheless he is determined to do everything in his power to keep control of the leaders jersey.

“We will try to defend the jersey," Kamna said defiantly. "It will be difficult tomorrow, but we will certainly try.”