Accompanied by Jonas Vinegegaard of Denmark they unaccountably failed to follow the course on a right-turn as they sought to catch up with the leading group a minute-and-a-half up the road in this International Cycling Union World Tour event.

The three elite riders looked capable of bridging the gap as they closed the advantage on the leading group on the 155km route from Sefro to Fermo to less than a minute in the space of a couple of kilometres - until their collective lapse of concentration.

Having apparently missed the marshal directions and signals telling them to turn right up a steep climb instead of continuing down a flat road - Evenepoel, Pogačar - Slovenia’s 23-year-old 2020 and 2021 Tour de France winner - and Vingegaard carried on riding the wrong way for around 50 metres.

Meanwhile France’s Warren Barguil, riding for Arkéa Samsic, took full advantage as he built up a 25-second gap before crossing the line first in the Piazza del Popolo in 3hr 39min 53sec, ten seconds clear of Belgium’s Xandro Meurisse, riding for Alpecin-Fenix, and 14 seconds clear of Italy’s Simone Velasco, of Astana-Qazaqstan.

Defending champion Pogačar, riding for UAE Team Emirates, and Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma still managed to finish a respectable sixth and seventh, 28 seconds behind Barguil, while Evenepoel, of Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, came home ninth in the same time.

Consequently, Pogačar, with a time of 18hr 17min 08sec, still leads Evenepoel by nine seconds in the general classification with the two stages scheduled to come this weekend.

Tomorrow’s sixth stage will follow a 215 kilometres route from Apecchio to Carpegna.