Giro D'Italia

INEOS Grenadiers rider Bernal, who had finished second behind Damiano Caruso in the penultimate stage, was a favourite heading into this year's race and the 24-year-old duly delivered having worn the maglia rosa since stage nine.

He sealed an impressive general classification victory by one minute and 29 seconds.

Bernal, now a two-time Grand Tour champion after a successful Tour de France in 2019, needed to keep his cool in Sunday's closing time trial.

He began the 30.3-kilometre test from Senago with a 1:59 minute lead over Caruso, who celebrated his maiden Grand Tour stage win on Saturday, but Bernal only gave up 30 seconds in a closing stage that was won by his team-mate and reigning time trial world champion Filippo Ganna.

Ganna beat Remi Cavagna (Deceuninck-Quick Step) by 12 seconds, despite needing to change his bike mid-race.

Cavagna was hindered by a crash on the final bend, with the Frenchman losing control and flying over his handlebars, and despite being back on the bike within 10 seconds, it was a mistake which handed Ganna a second stage win of the Giro.

But the glory was all Bernal's, the Colombian able to take his time on the final stretch as he celebrated a supreme display over the three-week event.

It is INEOS' second successive victory at the Giro, following Tao Geoghegan Hart's triumph last year.

Simon Yates, another pre-race favourite, finished in third place in the general classification, 4:15 back from Bernal, who is going from strength to strength.

"The maglia rosa is special. It's the most beautiful race in the world's most beautiful place," Bernal told reporters.

"I'll never forget this Giro, how I won my first ever stage and the way I won it, with attacks and sprinting on the flat for bonus seconds against Remco Evenepoel. That's who I am and the cycling I like.

"In this race I found the freedom to race as I like to do. So winning in this final time trial is special.

"I was just focused on my effort and was just thinking I can't do a mistake, I didn't want to lose the Giro in one corner. I was starting to push in the parts where I could push, but in the corners, don't take any risks.

"It was special, [seeing] a lot of Colombian flags everywhere and all the people cheering for me. When I finished and realised I won, it was an incredible feeling. I can't describe what I'm feeling."

STAGE RESULT

1. Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) 0:33:48
2. Remi Cavagna (Deceuninck-Quick Step) +00:12
3. Edoardo Affini (Jumbo-Visma) +00:13
4. Matteo Sobrero (Astana) +00:14
5. Joao Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick Step) +00:27

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 86:17:28
2. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) +01:29
3. Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange) +04:15

Points Classification

1. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) 136
2. Davide Cimolai (Israel Start-Up Nation) 118
3. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Emirates) 116

King of the Mountains

1. Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citroen) 184
2. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 140
3. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) 99

EF Education-Nippo rider Bettiol was part of a 23-strong breakaway when starting his pursuit with 15 kilometres remaining and caught Cavagna with six to go on the longest stage of the race.

The 2019 Tour of Flanders winner went solo from that point on to earn his maiden win on home soil and his team's first stage triumph at this year's race, while Cavagna slipped down to ninth.

"I really wanted a victory like this," Bettiol said. "I had already come close on a couple of occasions. 

"This morning Hugh [Carthy] gave me the green light to go on the attack. I want to thank him and the whole team. I didn't want to miss this opportunity."

Bettiol finished 17 seconds ahead of a congested pack, with Simone Consonni second after pipping Nicolas Roche on the line in Thursday's 231km journey from Rovereto to Stradella.

The peloton were around 23 minutes further back as Bernal enjoyed a stress-free day on the mostly-flat surface to hold on to the maglia rosa, having finally showed signs of weakness on Wednesday.

He will head into the three remaining stages with a two minute and 21 seconds lead over Damiano Caruso, while Simon Yates is three minutes and 23 seconds behind.

Friday's 166km stage 19, which has been rerouted following a tragic cable car crash earlier this week, takes the riders from Abbiategrasso to Alpe di Mera and gives Caruso and Yates another chance to chase down the race leader.

"I hope I've recovered well. I felt much better on the bike than yesterday and I hope tomorrow will be another good day," Bernal said.

"It's difficult to say I'm super confident – I'm just trying to do my best.  I have a lot of respect for the other guys and I need to be focused and do my best, that's it."

STAGE RESULT

1. Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-Nippo) 5:14:43
2. Simone Consonni (Cofidis) +00:17
3. Nicolas Roche (Team DSM) +00:18
4. Nikias Arndt (Team DSM) +00:18
5. Diego Ulissi (UAE Emirates) +00:18

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 77:10:18
2. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) +02:21
3. Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange) +03:23

Points Classification

1. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) 135
2. Davide Cimolai (Israel Start-Up Nation) 113
3. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Emirates) 110

King of the Mountains

1. Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citroen Team) 180
2. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 109
3. Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) 79

Jumbo Visma's Bouwman profited from a dramatic uphill finish at Santuario Di Castelmonte following a day-long five-man breakaway across the 178-kilometre race, which included a brief visit to Slovenia.

The Dutchman, who also leads the King of the Mountains classification, watched a last-corner mistake from Mauro Schmid (QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl) forced Andrea Vendrame (AG2R Citroen) off the road.

Bouwman surged through to win as Schmid recovered to take second, with Alessandro Tonelli (Bardiani-CSF-Faizane) taking third and Attila Valter (Groupama-FDJ) finishing ahead of a furious Vendrame.

However, Schmid was quick to question the last-corner problems with Bouwman and Vendrame.

"My opinion it was not a fair sprint, it was pretty clear, my handlebars are still in front and he nearly crashed in the last corner, he just knows he's slower in the sprint and he just pushed me away. You'll see when you watch the last 100-200 metres. I can do nothing," he told reporters.

"It was not fair in my opinion. Second place is first loser, so I'm not happy with that. I think I had it in the legs today. Of course, I'm disappointed but I want to say thanks to the team."

Bouwman, though, offered a different version of events to Schmid as he added: "I knew there was a corner to the left but I didn't know it was this sharp. I had to brake quite hard and I knew I had to take the inside [of the corner].

"After my first victory I said it would be really nice if I could have another one, but I also said I have to be realistic. It was my first victory as a pro. Now to win two stages in the Giro – I'm just so happy I don't have words.

Meanwhile, Carapaz finished eighth on the same time as Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious) as the general classification battle continues.

Carapaz loses key team-mate Porte

Ineos Grenadiers' Richie Porte was forced to abandon the Giro at stage 19 due to illness, leaving Carapaz without a key supporter for the final two summits of the race.

Porte will be disappointed to finish his 13-year Grand Tour career in such fashion, having announced his intention to retire at the end of the season, and Carapaz was frustrated to lose his team-mate.

"Truth is, it's been a really difficult day today. I'm really disappointed for Richie it's unlucky," he told reporters.

"But the team is doing a good job and we're dealing with everything the best we can. We're all at a good level and trying to make it into a positive.

"It was a little give and take today but I think we're all pretty much on the same level at the top. It wasn't such a fantastically difficult finale that it was going to break up very much."

STAGE RESULT 

1. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo Visma) 4:32:55
2. Mauro Schmid (QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl) same time 
3. Alessandro Tonelli (Bardiani-CSF-Faizane) same time
4. Attila Valter (Groupama-FDJ) same time
5. Andrea Vendrame (AG2R Citroen) same time

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 81:18:12
2. Jai Hindley (BORA-Hansgrohe) +0:03
3. Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious) +1:05

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 254
2. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) 136
3. Mark Cavendish (QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl) 132

King of the Mountains

1. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) 294
2. Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) 103
3. Diego Rosa (EOLO-Kometa) 94

The maglia rosa of Juanpe Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) and blue jersey of Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe) led the early stages of the 196km race to Potenza on Friday.

Wout Poels (Bahrain-Victorious) then took charge through the 30km incline of Monte Sirino, the longest climb in the race, but the expertise Dumoulin and Bouwman came to the forefront from there on in.

Bouwman won the largely uncontested intermediate sprint before Dumoulin did much of the defensive work to keep Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates) and Bauke Mollema (Trek–Segafredo) at bay.

Dumoulin, who finished fourth to boost his general classification hopes, could be seen mirroring Bouwman's celebration as he crossed the finish line, with Mollema beating Formolo to second place.

Victory also marked Jumbo-Visma's first stage win at the Giro in three years, and Bouwman highlighted Dumoulin's efforts.

"It's unbelievable, I can't believe it," Bouwman told reporters. "It was such a hard day. We were in the final with four riders and two of us. Tom did a superb job in the last 2km.

"I was feeling good all day. One time on the climb I was in trouble but I came back and actually I was confident for the sprint.

"It was steep but when I started to sprint I felt so much power left. I looked behind with 50 metres to go and saw I had a big gap – perfect."

Meanwhile, Lopez retained the maglia rosa for another day and maintained his 38-second lead over Kamna after finishing safely in the peloton.

FLYING DUTCHMEN

For the first time in history, the Netherlands had three riders – Bouwman, Dumoulin and Mollema – in the top four places in a stage of the Giro d'Italia.

STAGE RESULT  

1. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) 5:12:30
2. Bauke Mollema (Trek–Segafredo) +0:02
3. Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates) same time
4. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) +0:19
5. Davide Villella (Cofidis) +2:25

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS   

General Classification  

1. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 28:39:05
2. Lennard Kaemna (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:38
3. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) +0:58

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 147
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 94
3. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) 78

King of the Mountains  

1. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) 68
2. Lennard Kaemna (Bora-Hansgrohe) 43 
3. Wout Poels (Bahrain-Victorious) 27

INEOS Grenadiers rider Bernal has led the general classification since his stage nine triumph and moved two minutes and 24 seconds clear with another victory on stage 16.

Miserable weather conditions reduced the route down to a 153-kilometre ride and the Colombian profited with an outstanding attack on the Passo Giau.

A six-man attack ahead of the GC group was reduced to five when Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier was dropped having put Trek-Segafredo team-mate Vincenzo Nibali in position to challenge.

Their advantage was just a minute and 40 seconds at the bottom of the Giau, though, and Bernal beat the remaining quintet on the climb to emerge out front alone.

There was never a realistic proposition of Bernal being reeled in on the descent to Cortina d'Ampezzo, with his final margin of 27 seconds trimmed slightly as he removed his cape to show off the maglia rosa.

"I wanted to put on a show," said Bernal, the 2019 Tour de France winner. "This is the kind of cycling I like, when it's wet and cold and you need 'grinta' (grit).

"I wanted to do something special. It's risky but I thought I could do it and the team believed in me."

It was a risk that certainly paid off as Bernal can now head into a rest day with a healthy lead and just five stages remaining.

Damiano Caruso, previously third, is now Bernal's nearest challenger after matching Romain Bardet behind the stage winner, while Simon Yates endured a punishing day as he struggled to keep pace with the GC group, finishing 11th – two minutes and 36 seconds back – to tumble to fifth in the standings.

STAGE RESULT

1. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 4:22:41
2. Romain Bardet (Team DSM) +00:27
3. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious)
4. Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) +01:18
5. Hugh Carthy (EF Education-Nippo)

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 66:36:04
2. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) +02:24
3. Hugh Carthy (EF Education-Nippo) +03:40

Points Classification

1. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) 135
2. Davide Cimolai (Israel Start-Up Nation) 113
3. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Emirates) 110

King of the Mountains

1. Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citroen Team) 136
2. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 107
3. Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) 53

The gravel roads that highlighted stage 11, an arduous 162-kilometre ride from Perugia to Montalcino, always promised to provide a stern challenge.

But it was one that maglia rosa holder Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) overcame in style, as his attack on the final climb saw him extend his lead from 14 seconds to 45.

Deceuninck–Quick-Step's Remco Evenepoel, who had been in second, lost over two minutes as his hopes of contending in the general classification were dealt a significant blow.

Further forward, it was Schmid (Qhubeka Assos) and Alessandro Covi (UAE Team Emirates) who were the last men standing from the breakaway.

And it was Schmid who had the most left in the tank of the two debutants over the final few metres after a dramatic and elongated sprint to the line.

However, his victory will be overshadowed by the exploits of the phenomenal Bernal who, along with Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), finished just over three minutes behind the stage winner.

The Colombian now has a firm grip on the pink jersey and, though there are still 10 stages to go, stands as the firm favourite to win the second Grand Tour of his career.

Following a gruelling Saturday climb up Monte Zoncolan that saw leader Egan Bernal extend his advantage in the overall standings, Sunday's 147-kilometre journey from Grado to Gorizia came down to a two-man battle as the big names focused on preserving their energy.

With steady rain and a finish across cobbles adding a little extra drama to proceedings, Riesebeek made an early move in the sprint for the line.

However, his bold approach failed to pay off, Campenaerts clawing back the gap comfortably enough before slipping around his rival to triumph on Slovenian soil.

"It was just an amazing day with the team," the Belgian, who made it three wins in five days for the Qhubeka-Assos team, said in his post-stage interview.

"We don't have the guys in the team that will do the uphill finishes, and the coming days are extremely hard, so we decided to go all in today."

There had been an eventful start to the stage, with an early crash forcing the race to be neutralised. The collision forced four riders to end their involvement, too, including one high-profile casualty.

Emanuel Buchmann was sitting sixth in the general classification, two minutes and 36 seconds back, but his campaign is now over following the injuries he sustained. As well as the German, Jos van Emden, Natnael Berhane and – eventually – Ruben Guerreiro also withdrew.

Bernal had no such problems to retain possession of the maglia rosa, the Colombian coasting home with the peleton well after Campenaerts had sealed his moment of glory.

STAGE RESULT

1. Victor Campenaerts (Qhubeka Assos) 3:25:25
2. Oscar Riesebeek (Alpecin-Fenix)
3. Nikias Arndt (Team DSM) +00:07
4. Simone Consonni (Cofidis)
5. Quinten Hermans (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux)

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 62:13:33
2. Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange) +1:33
3. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) +1:51

Points Classification

1. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) 135
2. Davide Cimolai (Israel Start-Up Nation) 113
3. Fernando Gaviria Rendon (UAE Emirates) 110

King of the Mountains

1. Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citroen Team) 96
2. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 57
3. Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) 53

Colombian Buitrago had not won a Grand Tour stage before the mountainous 165km route from Ponte di Legno to Lavarone, but the Bahrain Victorious rider got off the mark on Wednesday.

Having caught Gijs Leemreize on the final climb, Buitrago cruised to victory with a margin of 35 seconds.

Mathieu van der Poel turned in another gutsy ride, but the Dutchman did not have enough in the tank to push on for a second stage win of the Giro after going out ahead on his own with around 65km remaining. 

Van der Poel's compatriot Leemreize crossed the line second, almost two minutes ahead of third-placed Jan Hirt, who won Tuesday's stage.

Hugh Carthy was fourth ahead of Carapaz and Hindley, who both finished two minutes and 53 seconds behind Buitrago.

"It's been a really hard stage. I think we're happy – every day everything is being defined more, everything is clearing up in the GC and I'm happy to have the jersey another day," said Carapaz, who holds a three-second lead over Hindley.

"Tomorrow will be an important day – we have to get through the remaining days, no day is easy and we've got a very difficult weekend coming up."

Hard luck for Yates

It has been a frustrating race for Simon Yates, who has won two stages but found himself way out of contention for the maglia rosa.

His race is now run, with Yates withdrawing due to a knee problem, with Team BikeExchange-Jayco team doctor Matteo Beltemacchi confirming: "Despite daily therapy and Simon's tenacity, the knee pain grew worse."

STAGE RESULT 

1. Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) 2:27:41
2. Gijs Leemreize (Jumbo-Visma) +0:35
3. Jan Hirt (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) +2:28
4. Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost) +2:28
5. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +2:53

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 73:19:40
2. Jai Hindley (BORA-Hansgrohe) +0:03
3. Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious) +1:05

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 238 
2. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 121
3. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) 117

King of the Mountains

1. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) 218
2. Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) 103
3. Diego Rosa (EOLO-Kometa) 94

Contesting the Giro for the first time since winning the points classification in 2013, Cavendish was always in control after a brilliant lead out from Michael Morkov and sprinted to victory at the end of a 201-kilometre flat ride from Kaposvar to Balatonfured. 

The Briton now has 11 more Giro stage wins than anyone else in the field this year – Fernando Gaviria, Arnaud Demare and Caleb Ewan all have five. 

The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team made their move at the right moment and were rewarded with their first victory in the Grand Tour since Maximilian Schachmann won stage 18 in 2018. 

"I'm very happy. It was really nice. I've got an incredible final group here and they delivered today," Cavendish said after tasting victory on stage three. 

"In the end I had to go long, with 300 [metres] to go. I'm happy I could hang on that long for the win." 

Cavendish held off the challenges of Demare and Gaviria, who finished second and third respectively. 

Mathieu van der Poel retained the maglia rosa and an 11-second advantage over Simon Yates after leading out team-mate Jakub Mareczko, who was fifth behind Biniam Girmay. 

COMEBACK CAVENDISH 

Cavendish's haul of Grand Tour stage wins now sits at 53 – he also has 34 at the Tour de France and three at the Vuelta a Espana. Mario Cipollini (57) and the legendary Eddy Merckx (64) are the only riders to have managed more. 

Four of Cavendish's total at the Tour came last year, ending a five-year wait for a victory at one of cycling's three main events.  

Asked about the Manxman's resurgence, Van der Poel said: "We knew he was one of the favourites for today. After the Tour de France last year, we all know he can win stages again." 

STAGE RESULT  

1. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 4:56:39  
2. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) same time  
3. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) same time  
4. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) same time  
5. Jakub Mareczko (Alpecin-Fenix) same time  

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS  

General Classification  

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 09:43:50  
2. Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) +0:11 
3. Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma) +0:16 

Points Classification   

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 62  
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 55  
3. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 53  

King of the Mountains  

1. Rick Zabel (Israel-Premier Tech) 5  
2. Pascal Eenkhoorn (Jumbo-Visma) 5  
3. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) 3 

Any chances of Egan Bernal being in line to defend his title were dashed in January, when the Colombian suffered serious injuries in a training ride in his homeland.

Fortunately, Bernal has recovered and is training again in Europe with his INEOS Grenadiers team-mates, but he will not be vying for a second successive maglia rosa.

Likewise, Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar is skipping the Giro to focus his efforts on a third straight yellow jersey. His fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic, too, will not be present for the 3,445.6km race that begins in Budapest and takes in a trip around Sicily before snaking its way around the Italian mainland, finishing with a time trial in Verona.

But the lack of standout favourites could well result in a more open race. Though not a general classification contender, Mark Cavendish is making his long-awaited Giro return, while Vincenzo Nibali will visit his hometown on what seems set to be his final appearance at this particular Grand Tour.

Stats Perform looks at the key storylines heading into the Giro d'Italia.

Picks of the bunch

This year's route features only 26.3km of time trialling – the lowest amount in a Giro since 1963, when there were no time trials. Instead, there is close to 51km of climbing, with much of that reserved for the gruelling final stages.

It is no surprise, then, that reigning world time trial champion Filippo Ganna, who has won six stages across the last two Giro and claimed gold in the team pursuit for Italy at the Tokyo Olympics, is not involved for INEOS this time around.

Leading the Grenadiers will be Richard Carapraz, the 2019 victor who will have support from Pavel Sivakov, a particularly strong climber.

For Alpecin-Felix, Mathieu van der Poel will hope to build on his impressive GT debut from last year's Tour de France and collect some points in the early stages, while Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange) will want another shot at Giro glory.

Yates had top drop out in 2020 after testing positive for coronavirus but won two stages to finish third in 2021. Indeed, that makes him the best performer from last year's GC to feature this time around, with Damiano Caruso, who took second, also sitting out.

Tom Dumoulin won in 2017 and is back after a hiatus, while 42-year-old Movistar rider Alejandro Valverde is set for his final Giro appearance, with the Spaniard set to retire at the end of the season.

Mikel Landa took the maglia azzurra in 2017 and he leads a Bahrain-Victorious team that includes Wout Poels, who held the king of the mountains jersey for four stages of Le Tour last year.

Cav is back

After his sensational efforts in last year's Tour de France, when he matched Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins, Cavendish will return to the Giro after a nine-year absence after he was confirmed to be heading up the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team.

Cavendish last featured in the race in 2013, topping the points classification after winning five stages.

His participation here does cast doubt over whether he will compete in Le Tour and get the chance to set the stage-win record in that race, especially as he turns 37 later this month (he'll celebrate his birthday with a 153km mountain stage from Santena to Torino on May 21).

However, regardless of whether he gets another shot at Tour de France history in July, Cavendish will be out to add to his 15 Giro stage wins. 

Nibali's long goodbye

The Giro passes through Messina on May 11, marking a return to his hometown for Nibali, the two-time champion who looks set to be making his final appearance in the race.

Nibali has won four Grand Tours and while the 37-year-old is unlikely to make any GC inroads (his last success was in 2016), it will be a glorious opportunity for him to bid farewell.

He was in tears after winning last year's Giro di Sicilia – how fitting would it be if he were to win an eighth Giro stage of his career back in the town where he grew up.

Nibali was the last Italian rider to win the Giro, and Italy's hopes rest on Trek-Segafredo's Giulio Ciccone, who crashed out in 2021.

The riders were set to contest the longest stage of the race following back-to-back mountain sections but after health concerns were raised they were transported from Morbegno to Abbiategrasso on buses, reducing the distance from 258 kilometres to 124km. 

Asti was expected to host a sprint finish at the end of a flat stage but maglia ciclamino contender Peter Sagan called off the chase of a 14-man breakaway after no one appeared willing to share the workload at the front of the peloton with his Bora-Hansgrohe team-mates. 

Victor Campenaerts forced a split at the front but Cerny pushed again with around 22km remaining and quickly established a lead of around 40 seconds. 

Cerny, who finished fifth in the time trial last Saturday, was able to go solo to secure a first Grand Tour stage win, with Campenaerts unable to close the gap late on. 

"The stage was definitely not [what I expected]. We were standing at the start line and the organiser said we can rest a little bit, it's very nice of him because we had the last three days really heavy, and it was a really hard day also today with the rain," said Cerny. 

"But I'm really happy. I was lucky in the breakaway and we were working together. And then in the final it was just who had better legs. I'm very happy. I still cannot believe it because it was so quick. It was incredible. I cannot describe it." 

Wilco Kelderman retained his grip on the maglia rosa with none of the General Classification contenders able to make in-roads on the short, flat route. 

Tao Geoghegan Hart tried to gain some valuable seconds in the final kilometre but was unable to force a split at the front of the peloton and remains 15 seconds adrift in third.

STAGE RESULT 

1. Josef Cerny (CCC Team) 02:30:40
2. Victor Campenaerts (NTT Pro Cycling) +00:18
3. Jacopo Mosca (Trek-Segafredo) +00:26
4. Simon Clarke (EF Pro Cycling) +00:26
5. Iljo Keisse (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +00:26 

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS 

General Classification    

1. Wilco Kelderman (Team Sunweb) 80:29:19
2. Jai Hindley (Team Sunweb) +00:12
3. Tao Geoghegan Hart (INEOS Grenadiers) +00:15 

Points Classification    

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 221
2. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) 184
3. Joao Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 94 

King of the Mountains    

1. Ruben Guerreiro (EF Pro Cycling) 234
2. Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) 122
3. Tao Geoghegan Hart (INEOS Grenadiers) 115 

WHAT'S NEXT? 

The penultimate stage is a 190km ride across the Alps including 3,500 metres of vertical altitude gain, meaning there could be plenty of drama in the GC. 

Buitrago took second at 1 minute 31 seconds behind the Trek-Segafredo rider, while Antonio Pedrero was third at 2:19 behind the Italian, with Carthy in fourth.

Meanwhile, Carapaz retained the overall lead despite crashing with 171km remaining, being one of around a dozen riders to be brought down when the back of the peloton came to a standstill after a collision, with Saturday's stage 14 winner Simon Yates also hitting the deck.

But the 2019 Giro winner recovered to finish the stage and retain a seven-second advantage over Hindley, with Joao Almeida 30 seconds behind the Ecuadorian, while Koen Bouwman edged ahead of Diego Rosa in the mountain classifications. 

Ciccone's finest hour

Ciccone has experienced success at the Giro d'Italia before, claiming a stage-10 win back in 2016 and a stage-16 victory during an impressive showing back in 2019. But the Italian missed the 2020 edition of the race after testing positive for COVID-19 before withdrawing after a crash the following year, and was overcome with emotion after ending two frustrating years by claiming an impressive triumph.

STAGE RESULT 

1. Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) 4:37:41
2. Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) + 1:31
3. Antonio Pedrero (Spa/Movistar) +2:19 
4. Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost) +3:09
5. Martijn Tusveld (Team DSM) +4:36

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 63:06:57
2. Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:07
3. Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +0:30

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 238 
2. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 121
3. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) 171

King of the Mountains

1. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) 109
2. Diego Rosa (EOLO-Kometa) 92
3. Jai Hindly (Bora-Hansgrohe) 62

Dainese came from way back on the final sprint to the line at the end of the 203km flat stage from Santarcangelo di Romagna to Reggio Emilia.

The DSM rider appeared to have been boxed in but found an infusion of pace when it mattered most to get his wheel just ahead of that of Fernando Gaviria.

It marked Dainese's first win since the opening stage of the Herald Sun Tour in February 2020.

That is a gap of 833 days, with Dainese saying afterwards: "It feels pretty amazing."

Dainese, whose home stage will come on stage 18 when the Giro heads to Treviso, added: "Especially being so close to home, it's something incredible.

"I cannot believe it happened, I'm super happy."

The sprint came after Dries De Bondt was reeled in going into the final kilometre following his solo breakaway.

General classification leader Juan Pedro Lopez was predictably not in the mix for the stage win but keeps ahold of the maglia rosa.

Dainese hails Bardet after ending wait

While Lopez did not feature prominently at the end of the stage, his GC rival Romain Bardet gave Dainese a key lead-out to set him up for triumph.

Dainese said: "I was just trying to stay relaxed, following the guys, it's insane that Romain sitting third in GC (now fourth) gave me a lead-out to the last corner, that shows we really work as a team.

"I was a bit boxed in but then I found a gap on the left and I just went to the line, I think I had Gaviria on the right, the last 20 metres I could pass him, that feels super."

At 24 years, one month and 23 days, Dainese is the youngest Italian to win at the Giro since 2016.

STAGE RESULT  

1. Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) 4:19:04
2. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) same time
3. Simone Consonni (Cofidis) same time
4. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) same time
5. Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) same time

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS   

General Classification  

1. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 46:43:12
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +0:12
3. Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +0:12

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 173
2. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 96
3. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) 91

King of the Mountains  

1. Diego Rosa (Eolo-Kometa) 83
2. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) 69
3. Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe) 43

It was De Bondt among a breakaway quartet who had the pace to take his maiden victory in a Grand Tour race in Treviso on Thursday.

The Alpecin-Fenix rider pipped Edoardo Affini, with Magnus Cort Nielsen third and Davide Gabburo just missing out on a podium at the end of a 156-kilometre route from Borgo Valsugana.

That group of four riders made an early move and there was no catching them on a day Belgian De Bondt will never forget.

The 30-year-old's win was his first since crossing the line first in the Belgian National Road Championships in September 2020.

There was drama when Hindley suffered a puncture, but the BORA-Hansgrohe rider did not lose time in the general classification battle as the mechanical issue came within three kilometres of the finish.

Carapaz finished 20 seconds after De Bondt as he retained the maglia rosa, with Mikel Landa staying in third place behind Hindley.

"I checked Landa and Hindley all the time as I knew there could be some gaps. I want to keep the maglia rosa till the end, I trust in my legs." INEOS Grenadiers rider Carapaz said.

Almeida ruled out after positive COVID-19 test

Joao Almeida was fourth in the GC standings, but the Portuguese rider's race is over after he tested positive for COVID-19 following stage 17.

UAE Team Emirates team principal Mauro Gianetti said: "We are obviously deeply upset because Joao and the supporting team were doing an excellent race.

"Our goals were the podium of the Giro and the white jersey as best young rider, and we were fighting to win them both.

"It is bad news, but this is the reality we have been living every day for two years. We have to accept it and look forward. Now the most important thing is that Joao recovers as soon as possible."

STAGE RESULT 

1. Dries De Bondt (Alpecin-Fenix) 3:21:21
2. Edoardo Affini (Jumbo-Visma) same time
3. Magnus Cort Nielsen (EF Education-EasyPost) same time
4. Davide Gabburo (Bardiani CSF Faizane) same time
5. Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) +0:14

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) 76:41:21
2. Jai Hindley (BORA-Hansgrohe) +0:03
3. Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious) +1:05

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 254
2. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 132
3. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) 124

King of the Mountains

1. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) 218
2. Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) 103
3. Diego Rosa (EOLO-Kometa) 94

American Dombrowski (UAE-Team Emirates) caught the breakaway leaders and attacked with 4km remaining on the last climb of the day in the stage from Piacenza to Sestola, claiming his first victory at a grand tour.

As riders battled cold, wet and windy conditions, De Marchi (Israel Start-Up Nation) came in 13 seconds behind to ensure it was he who claimed the maglia rosa, now leading the overall standings by 22 seconds over Dombrowski.

"I started thinking about taking the maglia rosa two days ago but I didn't tell anybody," said the veteran De Marchi.

"It was about finding the right move. I knew it would be tricky at the start. A bit of luck helped and here we are. I'm lost for words.

"The maglia rosa is the childhood dream of every cyclist, especially for an Italian.

"When I realised that there was opportunity [with the breakaway] I really started to dream and I was scared to have lost the opportunity in the middle of the race when the three guys went clear, but never give up."

INEOS Grenadiers rider Filippo Ganna relinquished the leader's jersey after coming in more than 21 minutes adrift.

Some of the race favourites also did battle back in the peloton with a group including Giulio Ciccone, Mikel Landa, Egan Bernal, Hugh Carthy and Aleksandr Vlasov making up 11 seconds on Simon Yates, Remco Evenepoel and Dan Martin.

A bad day for Deceuninck-Quick-Step rider Joao Almeida saw him drop from fourth to 42nd overall after losing just under six minutes to all but end his hopes of contending.

STAGE RESULT  

1. Joe Dombrowski (UAE-Team Emirates) 4:58:38
2. Alessandro De Marchi (Israel Start-Up Nation) +0.13
3. Filippo Fiorelli (Bardiani-CSF-Faizane) +0.27
4. Louis Vervaeke (Alpecin-Fenix) +0.29
5. Jan Tratnik (Bahrain-Victorious) same time

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Alessandro De Marchi (Israel Start-Up Nation) 13:50:44
2. Joe Dombrowski (UAE-Team Emirates) +0.22
3. Louis Vervaeke (Alpecin-Fenix) +00:42

Points Classification

1. Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix) 50
2. Elia Viviani (Cofidis) 38
3. Giacomo Nizzolo (Team Qhubeka Assos) 35

King of the Mountains

1. Joe Dombrowski (UAE-Team Emirates) 18
2. Vincenzo Albanese (Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team) 16
3. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche–Wanty–Gobert Materiaux) 13

Van der Hoorn, riding for a Belgian team Intermarche–Wanty–Gobert Materiaux making their debut in the Giro, demonstrated remarkable endurance to upset the odds on the 190-kilometre ride from Biella to Canale.

The Dutchman was part of the initial breakaway in the opening kilometres of a route through the hills of Piedmont that included one category three and two category four climbs.

And he somehow stayed at the front throughout to hold off the peloton and cross the finish line in disbelief at this achievement.

With the breakaway eventually thinned to Van der Hoorn and Simon Pellaud (Androni Giocattoli–Sidermec), the former made an ambitious move to go it alone with under nine kilometres left.

It looked as if he may be caught in the final kilometre but the peloton could not close the gap in time, allowing Van der Hoorn to celebrate arms aloft after an incredible solo ride on only his second road stage in a Grand Tour.

"I can't believe it. I didn't believe actually when I had one minute with 25km to go," Van der Hoorn said. 

"Simon was pulling really hard on the climb, was actually full gas, but then afterwards I was a bit happier, my position was a bit better. He was tired and I drop him and then I heard on the radio that I still had 40 seconds or something and full gas to the line.

"I couldn't believe it, I was really thinking with 1km to go I was looking behind and I was thinking, 'oh f***, I'm going to make it, what the f***?' and the last part was incredible."

Filippo Ganna, winner of the time trial on stage one, remains in the maglia rosa.

STAGE RESULT 

1. Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarche–Wanty–Gobert Materiaux) 4:21:29
2. Davide Cimolai (Israel Start-Up Nation) +0.04
3. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) same time
4. Elia Viviani (Cofidis) same time
5. Patrick Bevin (Israel Start-Up Nation) same time

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification

1. Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) 8:51:26
2. Tobias Foss (Jumbo-Visma) +00:16
3. Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck) +00:20

Points Classification

1. Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix) 50
2. Elia Viviani (Cofidis) 38
3. Giacomo Nizzolo (Team Qhubeka Assos) 35

King of the Mountains

1. Vincenzo Albanese (Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team) 16
2. Simon Pellaud (Androni Giocattoli–Sidermec) 6
3. Lars van den Berg (Groupama-FDJ) 6

Demare pipped Caleb Ewan in a thrilling sprint finish to stage six on Thursday, just nudging the tip of his wheel ahead of the Lotto Soudal rider as they crossed the finish line in Scalea.

At the end of a relatively flat route, Mark Cavendish made a late push, but was unable to latch onto the front two at the end.

"It was a really calm stage and everybody had fresh legs. Yesterday it was a collective job and today we had everyone as well," said Groupama-FDJ rider Demare.

"At each roundabout we were perfectly placed. Around 500m, Jacopo [Guarnieri] did a great job and I got myself into the wheels. The sprint lasted about 100m and I managed to get there.

"I thought maybe it was me that was second until we saw the photo."

It was a frustrating day for Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates), meanwhile.

The Colombian had expressed frustration with his bike after stage five, saying "what a s*** bike", and this time he collided with Alberto Dainese and Cees Bol on the home stretch.

Gaviria was deemed to be at fault and relegated, so he has dropped from third to fifth in the points classification, losing 13 points.

There was little change in the general classification standings, with Juan Pedro Lopez keeping hold of the maglia rosa, though his lead was cut by a second.

DEMARE MAKING FRANCE PROUD

That was Demare's seventh stage win at the Giro d'Italia, meaning he has now won more stages in the Grand Tour event than any other French rider.

According to the Giro's official data, across the 13-second sprint, Demare averaged a remarkable 68.4 km/h speed, while maxing out at 1,410 watts of power.

STAGE RESULT  

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 5:02:33
2. Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) same time  
3. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) same time 
4. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) same time
5. Giacomo Nizzolo (Israel-Premier Tech) same time

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS   

General Classification  

1. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 23:23:36
2. Lennard Kaemna (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:38
3. Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) +0:58

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 147
2. Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) 94
3. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team) 78

King of the Mountains  

1. Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe) 43
2. Mirco Maestri (EOLO-Kometa Cycling Team) 18  
3. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 18

Demare won stages five and six and made it a hat-trick as he powered across the line first in Cuneo following a 150km route from Sanremo on Friday.

That keeps Demare top of the points standings and comfortably in possession of the maglia ciclamino, which he won in 2020 and looks all set to regain this time around, with Cavendish some 117 points behind.

The Frenchman was part of the chasing pack that caught a four-rider breakaway in the final section of stage 13, and it was he who launched the final sprint.

Demare had just enough power to edge across the line ahead of Bauhaus to his right and Cavendish to his left.

"It was an incredible day. They really resisted at the front. We had all the elements ready and everybody worked," said Demare.

"We were really riding hard. The guys did a great job. It was a monstrous lead-out. With 1.5km to go we had to go up that climb hard. I did as strong a sprint as I could."

Juan Pedro Lopez remains wearing pink for another day, as he maintained his 12-second lead over Richard Carapaz and Joao Almeida.

Bardet bows out

It was a bad day for Romain Bardet, who was only 14 seconds shy of Lopez in the general classification standings when he fell ill during stage 12 on Thursday.

Unfortunately for Bardet and Team DSM, the Frenchman's condition worsened overnight and he has had to abandon the race.

Team-mate Romain Combaud said: "There was only one week left. It's horrible for us. He is a great champion.

"My role today was to stay with him. We said we would have an easy day, and he would get better tonight. But with the heat it was just too much for him."

STAGE RESULT

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 3:18:16
2. Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious) same time
3. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Viny) same time
4. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) same time
5. Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) same time

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS   

General Classification  

1. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) 54:37:23
2. Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) +0:12
3. Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +0:12

Points Classification

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 238
2. Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Viny) 121
3. Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) 117

King of the Mountains  

1. Diego Rosa (Eolo-Kometa) 83
2. Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) 69
3. Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe) 43

On the unusually flat stage 11 along the Adriatic coast, Demare (Groupama-FDJ) produced a consistent performance that allowed for him to enjoy a late burst to add to his wins on stages four, six and seven.

Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) had looked to be on course for a second successive stage win after his first ever in the Giro on Tuesday, but his decision making in the final stages ultimately cost him.

While he initially opted to focus on following Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) with less than 300 metres to go, Demare squeezed ahead and crossed the line a full length clear of Sagan.

Demare keeps hold of the Maglia Ciclamino, while Joao Almedia remains in control in the general classification battle with a 34-second lead, as the top three stayed out of trouble on a 182-kilometre route that was set up for the sprinters.

Frenchman Demare paid tribute to his team-mates, saying: "Impressive, really impressive. They had to bring the breakaway back and set a really high pace.

"It feels amazing. Of course, I didn't think I could get four stages here. I was looking for a stage win and I'm so happy.

"I really want to congratulate the whole team because it's their victory as well. They believed in me, everyone has worked really hard and the work is paying off."

Following Tuesday's spate of coronavirus-enforced withdrawals, there was an air of uncertainty heading into stage 11, but it was business as usual once the action started.

UAE Team Emirates and Cofidis looked dangerous in the mid-section but the latter were hamstrung shortly after the breakaway split with around 36km to go – Elia Viviani sent tumbling as a motorbike clipped him from behind.

In the latter stages Deceuninck-Quick-Step, UAE Team Emirates and INEOS Grenadiers riders came to the fore as Sander Armee (Lotto Soudal) began to flag at the front.

Demare and company arrived at the scene late on, and although they briefly lost the lead with under 2km to go, Miles Scotson and Jacopo Guarnieri expertly launched their team-mate to seal a dramatic win.

STAGE RESULT

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 04:03:52
2. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) +00:00
3. Alvaro Hodeg (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +00:00
4. Simone Consonni (Cofidis) +00:00
5. Rick Zabel (Israel Start-Up Nation) +00:00

CLASSIFICATION STANDING

General Classification 
1. Joao Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 43:41:57
2. Wilco Kelderman (Team Sunweb) +00:34
3. Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-McLaren) +00:43

Points Classification 
1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 220
2. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) 184
3. Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) 51

King of the Mountains 
1. Ruben Guerreiro (EF Pro Cycling) 84
2. Giovanni Visconti (Vini Zabu-Brado-KTM) 76
3. Jonathan Castroviejo (INEOS Grenadiers), Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) 45

WHAT'S NEXT?

Stage 12 sees the riders start and finish in the port town of Cesenatico, with the 204km route seeing them head into the mountainous hinterlands.

The Groupama-FDJ rider had the legs to take the sprint at the end of a rapid and eventful 143-kilometre route from Matera to Brindisi.

It tightened the Frenchman's grip on the Maglia Ciclamino, with Peter Sagan beaten into second place again, while Michael Matthews was third.

There was no change at the top of the general classification as Joao Almeida kept hold of his Maglia Rosa.

Riders had to contend with a persistent crosswind on a stage in which road furniture also played a part.

There were several crashes, with a significant one happening as the road narrowed under the banner that marked 45km to go.

It split the peloton as several riders were left lagging behind, although the race at the front was effectively neutralised to allow the chasing pack to close the gap.

The finish was similarly untidy as teams struggled to get their sprint trains in order, but Demare's rivals had no answer when he darted for the line inside the closing stretch.

STAGE RESULT

1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 02:47:28
2. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) same time
3. Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb) same time
4. Ben Swift (Team INEOS) same time
5. Alvaro Hodeg (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) same time

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS

General Classification
1. Joao Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) 24:48:29
2. Pelle Bilbao (Bahrain-McLaren) +00:43
3. Wilco Kelderman (Team Sunweb) +00:48

Points Classification
1. Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ) 161
2. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) 106
3. Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb) 83

King of the Mountains
1. Filippo Ganna (Team INEOS) 41
2. Jonathan Caicedo (EF Pro Cycling) 40
3. Domenico Pozzovivo (NTT Pro Cycling) 19

WHAT'S NEXT?

Saturday's stage takes the riders on a 200km route from Giovinazzo to Vieste, with a tough climb around the midway point marking a significantly more difficult second half after a flat start.