Naples, Italy, May 11 (AFP\/APP):Mads Pedersen won the group sprint to take stage six of the Giro d’Italia in Naples on Thursday as Andreas Leknessund retained the overall lead.<\/p>\n
Pedersen, a Dane who had finished second and third in sprints earlier in the Giro, was fastest after the peloton caught a two-man breakaway in the last 300m. He also completed the set of individual stage wins in the major tours.<\/p>\n
After a 162km stage, that started and ended in Naples and took in Mount Vesuvius and the Amalfi coast, two 36-year-old veterans, Australian Simon Clarke and Italian Alessandro De Marchi seemed to have the stage in their grasp as they led by 16 seconds entering the last kilometre.<\/p>\n
But the former team-mates stopped co-operating a little too soon.<\/p>\n
Fernando Gaviria of Team UAE launched a long-range sprint just before the two men were caught with 300m to go. Pedersen, of Trek Segafredo, rode the Colombian’s slipstream and then went past like a sling shot.<\/p>\n
He was chased across the line by Italian Jonathan Milan of Bahrain Victorious and Germany’s Pascal Ackermann of Team UAE.<\/p>\n
“It was pretty close in the end,” said Pedersen. “It was not easy to catch them for a long time. All the sprint teams had to use all the guys we had available.”<\/p>\n
“I feel sorry for those guys because they did really, really well but I’m happy for the win.”<\/p>\n
Clarke, who was also chasing a first individual stage win in the Giro to go with Vuelta and Tour de France victories, said the finish was “devastating”.<\/p>\n
“Not nice to lose in that way getting caught so close,” he said. “Would have preferred to be caught with 10k to go.”<\/p>\n
He brushed away suggestions that he and De Marchi should have kept working together.<\/p>\n
“There has to be a moment when you have to decide to stop pulling.”<\/p>\n
Norwegian Leknessund, of Team DSM, stayed 28 seconds ahead of Belgian world champion Remco Evenepoel who started on Thursday despite falling twice in the rain the day before.<\/p>\n
“Some pain in the back, some big bruises,” said Evenepoel of Soudal Quickstep before the start. “I’ve got a big black spot on my back which is some blood.”<\/p>\n
After two days raced in pouring rain, the Giro briefly basked in sunshine around Naples Bay with the blue flags of Serie A champions Napoli replacing the normal pink balloons along the route.<\/p>\n
Rain is forecast to return for Friday’s seventh stage, a 218km slog from Capua to the chilly heights of Gran Sasso, the tallest peak in the Apennine range.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Naples, Italy, May 11 (AFP\/APP):Mads Pedersen won the group sprint to take stage six of the Giro d’Italia in Naples on Thursday as Andreas Leknessund retained the overall lead. Pedersen, a Dane who had finished second and third in sprints earlier in the Giro, was […]<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":78558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-sports-news"],"yoast_head":"\n