Spaniard Iban Mayo of Saunier Duval claimed the 179km 19th stage of the Tour of Italy from Treviso to Terme Di Comano on Friday.
Italian Liquigas rider Danilo Di Luca retained the leader's pink jersey.
Mayo, who has often been touted as a potential Tour de France challenger but has always flattered to deceive, made his break on a downhill section with 70km to race in driving rain.
PHOTO: AFP
He had one breakaway companion in Spain's Alberto Losada but he dropped him on the final climb of this semi-mountainous stage, with about 20km left to race.
A small chasing group formed but the little Basque climber held on to claim his first Giro success.
The 29-year-old Mayo was delighted with his victory. He won the l'Alpe d'Huez stage of the Tour de France in 2003 and then claimed the Dauphine Libere the following year but from then on had a tough time imposing himself in the major races.
There are just two stages left with only Saturday's 43km time-trial from Bardolino to Verona likely to shake up the pecking order. Di Luca leads Luxembourg's Andy Schleck by 2 minutes and 24 seconds.
"I'm feeling calm," Di Luca said. "Even if I lost 1 minute 30 seconds in the time trial [to Schleck], I would still have a 50 second buffer."
Though the 22-year-old Schleck has done wonders during this race it looks unlikely that he will be able to overhaul Di Luca for overall race victory.
He said he had never in his life ridden such a long time trial and would give his maximum to earn a podium finish by fending off Italians Gilberto Simoni, Damiano Cunego and Eddy Mazzoleni.
However a dramatic change of fortunes can happen. In 1984, France's two-time Tour de France champion Laurent Fignon was upstaged by Italy's Francesco Moser in the final time trial.
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS