"I suffered a lot. It was a tough, intense day": Scaroni surpasses extreme cold to help Silva podium Giro stage 5
Cycling
Like many other teams, XDS Astana Team sensed the sixth stage of 2026 Giro d'Italia would offer an opportunity to strike from a breakaway. That is why the Kazakh team deployed its two best weapons at the race; Cristian Scaroni and Guillermo Thomas Silva up the road. Ultimately, the combined efforts of those two men weren't enough to compete for a stage victory, however a 3rd place for Silva and 5th for Scaroni is a more than decent outcome for the team.
"The team’s plan today was to get into the breakaway, as we knew it had a very good chance of making it to the finish. Luckily, two of us managed to be there," Silva opens up about the pre-race strategy in a team press release.
The stage was marked by a never-ending rain, fog and harsh weather in general and four riders stepped out of the race as a consequence. "It was a very tough day, it rained since the beginning. We knew the key point of the race would be the final climb. Two riders went clear there and we couldn’t close the gap, but I’m happy with my feeling after yesterday."
Even though Igor Arrieta and Afonso Eulálio were a little too strong for the Astana duo, they continued to work along with Italians Gianmarco Garofoli (Soudal - Quick-Step) and Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar Team) to keep away the late attackers from peloton. "I’m also pleased with the work Christian and I did together in the breakaway. Overall, it’s a good result, and there is still a long way to go in this Giro," Silva concluded.
Scaroni froze to bone
While his Uruguayan teammate seems to thrive in extreme conditions (as he showed us already on stage 2), Scaroni appeared to be a little less fond of the stage 5 weather in an interview afterward. In particular the last hour of the race was highlighted by the Italian hope:
"After the climb with 50 kilometers to go, the cold arrived, so cold…" he commented with a trembling voice. "From that moment on, I suffered a lot. It was a tough, intense day."
Scaroni was among the expected protagonists of the day: the route suited his characteristics perfectly and he did not disappoint: "We had circled this day in red. It's a shame we didn't get the win, but we did a great job. We gave it our all."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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