Lithuanian rider Ramunas Navardauskas of the Garmin Sharp team celebrates while crossing the finish line to win the eleventh stage of the 96th Giro d’Italia cycling race from Tarvisio to Vajont, Italy, yesterday.
VAJONT, Italy: Lithuanian Ramunas Navardauskas of Garmin won the 11th stage of the Giro d’Italia yesterday following a 182km ride from Tarvisio to Vajont.
Navardauskas pulled clear of escape companion Daniel Oss 5km from home on a steep climb to win by more than a minute.
Italian Vincenzo Nibali of Astana kept hold of the leader’s pink jersey ahead of Australian Cadel Evans.
The peloton including Nibali, Evans and Briton Bradley Wiggins, came across the line just under six minutes off the winner’s pace.
After an extremely rapid start to the stage, with 53.5km covered in the first hour, a group of 20 riders broke away at the 71km mark. German Patrick Grestch led down the first descent, 50km from the finish, but he was reeled back in by Navardauskas and Oss a further 30km down the road.
The 25-year-old Lithuanian pulled away in the steep climb up towards Vajont for his first stage win on the Giro.
Thursday’s 12th stage sees the riders tackle a 134km course from Longarone to Treviso, featuring a 400m run-in to the finish line.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Miguel Ubeto Aponte has been provisionally suspended, the International Cycling Union said yesterday after a positive test for a drug the World Anti-Doping Agency has warned poses serious health risks.
Ubeto, who joined Lampre this year, returned a sample that showed traces of GW1516, also known as GW501516, following an out-of-competition test taken on April 16, the UCI said in a statement.
“The provisional suspension of Mr. Miguel Ubeto Aponte remains in force until a hearing panel convened by the Venezuelan Cycling Federation determines whether he has committed an anti-doping rule violation,” the UCI said.
Ubeto can ask to have the B sample tested. WADA issued a warning about the once developmental drug in March, saying it had been withdrawn from research but was available on the black market and contained “serious toxicities”.Agencies
