Arnaud Demare of France has powered through a packed field to win stage 5 of the Giro d'Italia, a 172-kilometre ride from Catania to Messina on Wednesday.

Pre-stage favorites Mark Cavendish and Caleb Ewan were caught out on the day's main climb, the Portella Mandrazi, and couldn't get back into contention.

Groupama-FDJ won the battle for position going into the final corner and got the reward as their rider Demare held off Fernando Gaviria (Colombia, UAE Team Emirates) and Giacomo Nizzolo (Italy, Israel-Premier Tech) to take the win.

The sprint finish meant there were no major changes at the top of the general classification, with Juan Pedro Lopez, who came of age on the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna on Tuesday to become the first Spaniard since Alberto Contador in 2015 to take the pink jersey, retains his place at the top of the general classification after crossing the line in 58th in Messina.

Demare's victory was a familiar one, as he won a similar stage into Messina in the 2020 Giro - then, as happened on Wednesday, the peloton was split on the Portella Mandrazi and several sprinters dropped away.

The Giro leaves Sicily and heads for the Italian mainland next, with Thursday's stage six a 192-kilometre ride from Palmi to Scalea and another which should favor the sprinters.

(With input from AP)