Wednesday 22nd May 2019

Our event of the day is Stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia. As the race runs 221km from Capri to Novi Ligure, Valerio Conti will look to maintain his place at the top of the standings before the series of hilly and mountain stages later this week. It’s going to be a day of exciting cycling amongst some gorgeous scenery so be sure you don’t miss today’s action. The rain-soaked first week of the Giro d’Italia saw plenty of exciting cycling. Primož Roglič led through the first five stages, which took riders from Bologna to Terracina. It was the Slovenian’s dominance of the stage one time trial and respectable finishes in the main race stages that kept him on top for so long. However, he dropped out of the top ten in the general standings after the sixth stage, ceding the pink jersey to Valerio Conti. Despite going without a stage win in the race so far, Conti has held the top spot ever since, holding off a resurgence by Roglić after the stage nine time trial. The white jersey, given to the top rider under the age of 25, has also changed hands numerous times already. Miguel Ángel López, the defending white jersey holder, held the jersey for the opening five stages before losing it to the Italian Giovanni Carboni, who held it until stage 9 before losing the jersey to Frenchman Nans Peters after the time trial. Yesterday saw the riders traverse the first stage after the race’s first rest day. Stage 10 covered 145km between Ravenna, the last imperial city of the Western Roman Empire, and Modena, the heart of the Italian automotive industry.

With a fluctuating peloton across the length of the stage, a furious sprint for the finish was won by Arnaud Démare, who had begun the day 116th in the standings. Démare's win today marks the first Giro stage win of his career. While the standings went relatively unchanged, with Conti retaining the pink jersey, there was a three-cyclist crash in the final kilometre that added to the drama of the stage. Today’s stage, stage 11, is the second consecutive flat stage and runs for 221km between Capri, an ancient crafting town, and Novi Ligure, a major transportation hub famous for its chocolate. The route winds through the Italian countryside as it travels northwest and then south, passing through iconic cities such as Parma. Stage 11 is also the last true flat stage until May 30th. Between then and now, there are three mountain stages, a hilly stage and two intermediate stages. This makes stage 11 the last opportunity for over a week for many riders to record a strong standing before the mountain specialists get their opportunity to rise in the standings. Today will see high-quality Grand Tour cycling amongst some truly gorgeous scenery so be sure to tune in.

Honourable mentions around the globe go to the MLB, where the Chicago Cubs host the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field for the third game of their four-game series. After the Phillies won in an extra innings on Monday, the Cubs responded by scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth last night to steal a win and tie the series. With both teams holding two-game leads in their respective National League divisions, it should be another great match-up so be sure you don’t miss this game. Elsewhere in the MLB, the Tampa Bay Rays host the Los Angeles Dodgers at Tropicana Field for the third match of their three-game series. In the MLS, the New York Red Bulls host the Vancouver Whitecaps at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. In tennis, the Internationaux de Strasbourg continues at the Tennis Club de Strasbourg. In County Championship cricket, Somerset’s match with Warwickshire continues at the County Ground Taunton in Division One.

Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!

Fixture

Photos by Giro d’Italia; Valerio Conti