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It was a messy sprint to conclude Stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia, with Jonathan Milan prevailing in a rapid bunch sprint that saw a crash in the finishing straight.
Milan was able to improvise a leadout from his main rival Tim Merlier (Soudal QuickStep), and emerge the strongest in the final few metres, forcing Merlier to finish second, with Australian Kaden Groves a battling third-placed finish on the line. Merlier would subsequently be relegated for coming off his sprinting line and impeding Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates).
"It was not just the 20 seconds of sprinting at the end, but all of the other work that made me happy today," said Milan. "Today was unbelievable what the guys did for me. To see their happy faces, this was for them.
"It was a tricky final with some corners and then this straight finish."
The late crash saw the DSM firmenich pair of sprinters, Fabio Jakobsen and Tobias Lund Andresen, come down hard into the barriers, a number of other riders coming down as well.
There was also a relegation for Merlier after he swung across the road in the final few hundred metres, blocking Molano, with the Colombian sprinter protesting as he crossed the line.
The relegation also saw Merlier docked points in the sprint jersey classification, with Groves being elevated to second and maintaining a challenge for Milan at the head of the points standings.
As it happened
It was a relatively quiet day for the peloton after the previous weeks of action, with the breakaway of Tim van Dijke, Edoardo Affini (both Visma-Lease a Bike) and Thomas Champion (Cofidis) only allowed a maximum lead of two minutes, with the memory of the sprint teams missing out on Stage 5 fresh in the mind.
Kaden Groves and the Alpecin-Deceuninck squad were the most active at the intermediate sprints, with Groves taking back a few points on the current leader of the points classification, Jonathan Milan, over the course of the two sprints.
The breakaway was caught with 35 kilometres remaining, allowing a time bonus sprint between the top contenders, that saw Ryan Mullen (BORA-hansgrohe) block Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) from taking three seconds bonus, though the Welshman did claim two seconds on his rivals in the general classification.
Andrea Piccolo (EF Education-EasyPost) started the aggression again with 21 kilometres remaining, though it was short-lived and the sprinters' teams shut down the move.
The Giro d’Italia continues with a hilly stage tomorrow, which you can watch from 8.25pm AEDT on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.
