Another close call at the Giro for Nizzolo, Fuglsang upset with time loss, Vegard Stake Laengen disappointed with breakaway
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Evgeny Petrov (Tinkoff)(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Giacomo Nizzolo took the bunch sprint for fourth place in stage 11 at the Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Jakob Fuglsang (Astana)(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Diego Ulissi wins stage 11 at Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Of the 40 riders to fall in the late crash that punctured the finale of stage 11, Tinkoff's Evgeny Petrov was one of the more seriously injured. Petrov was caught in the middle of the crash that also brought down the majority of the FDJ team, AG2R-La Mondiale's Domenico Pozzovivo, Astana's Valerio Agnoli and Orica-GreenEdge's Luka Mezgec.
The Russian remounted his bike and but was the last rider to cross the line finishing with Mathias Brandle (IAM Cycling) at more than 18 minutes down on stage winner Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida). The team reported that he was in quite a lot of pain when he finished, and it was revealed in an x-ray that Petrov had suffered "first-degree dislocation of the right acromioclavicular joint" in the post-race communiqué.
Tinkoff are yet to announce if Petrov will remain in the race although last year Alberto Contador put the pain of a dislocated shoulder to one side as he rode to overall Giro victory. His teammate Rafal Majka missed the trouble and moved up to sixth place in the overall standings.
Evgeny Petrov (Tinkoff)
Giacomo Nizzolo comes close yet again
Giacomo Nizzolo is a regular top-five finisher at the Giro d'Italia and despite winning the points classification at last year's race, the Trek-Segafredo rider is yet to taste victory. Nizzolo led home the peloton behind the leading trio of Diego Ulissi, Andrey Amador and Bob Jungels for fourth place to add to his second, third and tenth places thus far.
The fact that sponsor Segafredo calls the stage 11 finish town Asolo home was front and centre for Nizzolo which was added motivation for victory.
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"Today for us was an important stage because our sponsor Segafredo is from this town. We left everything on the road – big thanks to the team, they really believe in me. We took our responsibility today and we pulled from 70-kilometers. And then, I gave everything as always - 100 per cent, maybe more today," he said.
In 2015, Nizzolo had six top-six results and explained after yet another close call that he is simply out of luck.
"It was not quite enough, and I think we missed some luck today. It seems it has been 3 or 4 years that I have missed some luck… Maybe everything will come back at once? Today there are no consolations. I wanted to win, it was an important stage, even a test of legs with the climb in the final. I have proven to have legs, but unfortunately I have no luck.
The Italian added that he can only try again despite his opportunities decreasing by the day.
"I think there are three more chances for me, not more. Still, it is a real missed chance today but we have to look forward, always. Tomorrow is another chance and we will regroup and be focused and go full again," he added. "As I have said, and I will always say, I try 100 percent every time… One day it will come."
The sprint for fourth place was won by Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo)
Fuglsang upset over time loss
Jakob Fuglsang was another of the riders caught up in the stage 11 crash with the Astana rider slipping from eighth to 12th as a result and expressing his anger once he crossed the line in 39th place, 1:49 minutes down on Diego Ulissi.
"I'm mad, but I am not injured. I landed on top of another rider so he saved me a bit. But I am obviously upset about losing time in this way. It is frustrating and it's annoying,” Jakob Fuglsang told Danish media outlet TV2 Sport. "We were relatively close to the front and that’s why we had six riders involved in the crash. [Eros] Capecchi was attentive and quickly gave me his bike because mine was broken. The team had no time to react."
The Dane had already slipped from second to 12th following a mechanical on the road to Arezzo during stage 8 but re-entered the top ten after the Chianti time trial. He then improved to eighth on stage 10 to Sestola but is now back in 12th place while teammate Vincenzo Nibali was unaffected by the crash and holds onto his fifth place overall.
Vegard Stake Laengen wanted more from breakaway appearance
IAM Cycling's Vegard Stake Laengen enjoyed a taste of the podium with third place in the stage 9 Chianti time trial and was hungry for a return after infiltrating the breakaway on stage 11. The 195cm Norwegian, along with Liam Bertazzo (Wilier Triestina-Southeast) and Anton Vorobyev (Katusha), were given the freedom to form the break after a frantic opening to the stage and he was the last man standing as the GC teams came to the fore on the only categorised climb of the day.
"I want to come away with more than time spent in a breakaway," Stake Laengen said at the team bus. "I got into the right break today, but the peloton never left us alone. In spite of the fact we did have ten minutes at one point, we were always under control."
The 26-year-old eventually went off on his own with the dream of a stage win crystalizing in his mind.
"There wasn’t too much farther to go. When my breakaway companions lost their impetus, I set out on my own with an acceleration, but it was too late," he added.
Stake Laengen rolled over the line 6:04 minutes after stage winner Diego Ulissi after being swept up with Heinrich Haussler the best finisher for IAM Cycling in 42nd place.
