05/14/26 11:18:00
Printable Page
05/14 11:16 CDT Ballerini dodges a late crash to seize a breakthrough Giro
stage win in Naples
Ballerini dodges a late crash to seize a breakthrough Giro stage win in Naples
NAPLES, Italy (AP) --- Italian rider Davide Ballerini avoided a crash in the
final 300 meters of Thursday's sixth stage of the Giro d'Italia to claim his
first victory in a Grand Tour, while Afonso Eullio remained in the overall
lead.
Ballerini edged out Jasper Stuyven in a bunch sprint on cobbled roads at the
end of the mainly flat, 142-kilometer (88-mile) route from Paestum to the port
city of Naples.
On the very last corner, a U-turn toward the finish line, several riders fell
on the cobblestones and caused others to go down as well, including the
favorites to contest the sprint.
Paul Magnier --- who has won two sprint finishes already at this year's Giro
--- was held up by the crash but managed to just about stay on his bike and
drove forward, blasting past eight riders in a short distance, to finish third.
Portuguese cyclist Eullio, who moved into pink on Wednesday, remained 2
minutes, 51 seconds ahead of Igor Arrieta in the overall standings, with
Italian Christian Scaroni 3:34 back in third spot.
Friday's seventh stage is a lengthy and tough one, and the battle for the pink
jersey should ignite on the first mountain showdown.
Not only is the stage the longest in this year's Giro, at 244 kilometers (152
miles), but it ends in a climb up the famous and feared Blockhaus.
The 109th men's Giro ends on May 31 in Rome.
The women's Giro runs from May 30-June 7 with Italian rider Elisa Longo
Borghini as the defending champion.
___
AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling
|
