Stage 5 of the 2011 Giro d'Italia took the peloton back to the fabled white gravel roads of Tuscany, the strade bianche. Over 191 kilometers from Piombino to Orvieto, the race included 23km atop the roads made famous by the relatively new spring classic, the Montepaschi Strade Bianche.

Dutchman Pieter Weening of Rabobank emerged victorious to take the stage and the race leader's maglia rosa off the shoulders of David Millar, who crashed mid-race and never quite regained the strength to defend his jersey.