Ecuador's Jhonatan Narváez edged out Spain's Enric Mas at the finish of stage 11 on Wednesday to claim his third stage victory of this year's Giro d'Italia, while Afonso Eulálio retained the overall leader's pink jersey.
Stage 11 Decided on Final Climb
Narváez (UAE Team Emirates XRG) and Mas (Movistar) broke away from the leading group on the final ascent and battled for the win. Mas launched the first attack, but Narváez overtook him just before the line. Italy's Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana) finished third after the entertaining 195km ride from Porcari to Chiavari.
"Mas was the strongest on the climb, and I knew I had to play my game. I just tried to defend myself on the uphill," said Narváez. "I was scared because when he sprinted, he almost closed me on the barriers, and I was on the limit. But it was full gas racing all day because we don't race only on the uphills; we race on the downhills too."
General Classification Unchanged
Portugal's Afonso Eulálio maintained his 27-second lead over race favourite Jonas Vingegaard at the top of the general classification, as the peloton finished over three minutes behind the stage winner.
The first half of the stage saw multiple breakaway attempts before the riders reached the first of three categorised climbs. Early attacks were brought back, and the eventual breakaway group swelled as others joined. On the second climb, a 12-man group held a three-minute lead over the peloton.
A crash on the descent took down three of the leaders, splitting the breakaway. On the uncategorised climb before the finish, Mas attacked, and Narváez followed. Unable to shake off the Ecuadorian on the descent, Mas was always at a disadvantage in the sprint finish.
Mas's Giro Debut Frustration
Mas, a three-time runner-up in the Vuelta a España, is out of contention for the overall win but was desperate for a stage victory on his Giro debut. However, it was Narváez who claimed his fifth career Giro stage win.
Thursday's stage 12 is a flat 175km ride from Imperia to Novi Ligure, where Eulálio will again wear the pink jersey.
