Davide Ballerini claimed his first Grand Tour stage victory by avoiding a late crash on treacherous wet cobbles to win stage six of the Giro d'Italia in Naples. The XDS-Astana rider managed to dodge a pile-up that took out several stage favourites and held off Jasper Stuyven for the win on the cobbled finish.
Crash Takes Out Favourites
The late crash on a tricky right-hander just a few hundred metres from the finish caught out Dylan Groenewegen and Jonathan Milan, among others. Groenewegen's lead-out rider was one of the first to slip. Stuyven's teammate Paul Magnier, who has already won two stages this year, was third after nearly slipping himself but managed to regain speed and lead the chasing riders.
Stage Conditions
After the torrid conditions of stage five, with torrential downpour and cold temperatures, stage six saw mostly clear skies and sunshine for the 141km run from Paestum to Naples. The route was nearly flat along the coast before entering Naples and finishing on a cobbled stretch, setting up a bunch sprint.
Breakaway and Finale
An early breakaway of Luca Vergallito, Edward Planckaert, Mattia Bais, Martin Marcellusi, and Manuele Tarozzi was quickly caught by the peloton with 35km to go. Rain made the final cobbled section slick, causing multiple riders to slip on the final corner.
Afonso Eulalio of Bahrain-Victorious retains the overall leader's pink jersey with no changes in the general classification.
