Ballerini dodges a late crash to seize a breakthrough Giro stage win in Naples

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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 Eulálio 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.

“I was thinking to win one stage in the Giro, just as I do every year I participate in this race, but today was not on the plan," the 31-year-old Ballerini said. "But when we arrived in the last corner, I saw the first two riders go down, and as soon as I came out of the turn, I heard on the radio: ‘Go, go, go! Til the finish, til the finish, there is a gap.’

"I just started and I was hoping the line was coming really fast and I made it. … Sometimes the result comes when you truly weren’t expecting it.”

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 Eulálio, 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.

Another sprint specialist, Jonathan Milan, was hoping for a fifth Giro d'Italia stage win but he too was caught up by the crash when in a good position.

“I really don’t get why we have to try to find this complicated finish, I really don’t get it,” Milan said. “I’m just a bit disappointed because I was in a good position and having a good shape, feeling good. But, yeah, we have to try to look for these things now for a bit of hype maybe sometimes. I really don’t get it.”

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.

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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling