Tsgabu Grmay Gebremaryam was one of the protagonists of the 5th stage of the Vuelta a Espana.

The Ethiopian national champion honored the race in the best possible way, escaping from the bunch 4 km after the start flag had been waved. The jersey of the Ethiopian champion led the race for 155 km, together with Keisse and Duchesne, who had joined Grmay after a few kilometers.

LAMPRE-MERIDA's climber and his breakaway mates had a maximum advantage of 7', unfortunately the peloton reacted and intensified the chase, which was completed 10 km from the finish. The stage was won by Ewan in a sprint while Maximilano Richeze was 54th.

Tsgaby Grmay who's racing his second great tour in his career (this season he already completed the Giro d'Italia), was the fourth LAMPRE-MERIDA rider who joined the main breakaway (after Oliveira, Koshevoy and Durasek).

Dumoulin is the new leader of the overall classification, Cattaneo is 54th.

"I was one of the riders of the team who had received the task to try to join the breakaways," Grmay explained. "In the early kilometers of the stage there was a series of attacks and I tried to escape from the peloton too: I had good legs and I could obtain an interesting advantage, then I was joined by two other riders and the gap to the bunch increased. 

"It would have been necessary to be more than 3 attackers to hold off the chase of the peloton, even if my two breakaway mates were very strong: in the final part of the stage, I suffered from the high pace on flat roads who are not my preferred terrain, also because there was a headwind.

"It was the plan to go in the break today and I'm glad I was able to do it. I was lucky to be in it with two strong riders but it's true that in the end they were riding too hard for me and I couldn't follow. We're not the same build.

"I'm glad I showed the jersey and it's nice to see Africans show themselves the way we do with Daniel or Natnael. I still fell like a pioneer showing the way to younger riders and I'm sure than in five or ten years, we will see more and more riders from Africa in the peloton and some very good ones I hope.

"I'm happy I succeeded in achieving the goal of joining the breakaway, but I want to try again in the mountains stages, where I'll have more chance to battle for a top result"."