Jorg Jaksche (CSC) has won the Mediterranean Tour.The German won Stage 5, a 28-km team time trial from La Garde to Mont Faron, in 41:14. Ivan Basso, Jaksche's teammate, finished second in the same time as Jaksche, and Jens Voigt, another CSC man, took third at 0:41.

Before the race, Jaksche was ill, and he crashed early on. The German had good form, however, and he stayed close to the leaders. On Mont Faron, the Danish squad supported Jaksche impeccably and shepherded him to his first professional victory.

After the stage, a moment of silence was observed in honor of Marco Pantani, the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France winner who was found dead the previous afternoon at the age of 34. Some riders were not fully focused, and some were traumatized by the Italian's death. CSC directeur sportif Bjarne Riis said, "I advised the riders to focus on the job at hand and use their frustration to go faster, out of respect for Pantani and the sport." His charges took his advice.

In the overall, Jaksche finished in the same time as Basso and 0:33 ahead of Voigt. At the end of the Mediterranean Tour, CSC stamped its authority on the race and declared itself a team to beat in the spring classics. Will the Danish squad add other victories to this one? Check in at http://www.roadcycling.com/ and find out!