"Spectacle is here" - Mass crash overshadows Giro sprint

A mass crash on the last bend overshadowed the sprint finale on the sixth stage of the Giro d'Italia - and gave the hosts their first home win. Italian Davide Ballerini benefited from the crash of his colleagues on the cobblestones in Naples and took victory after 141 kilometres ahead of Belgian Jasper Stuyven and Frenchman Paul Magnier.

A few hundred metres before the finish, Dutch sprint star Dylan Groenewegen and around a dozen other riders went down. Ballerini took advantage of the chaos and secured the first Italian victory in this year's Giro, which has been marred by many crashes since the start in Bulgaria.

Ackermann criticises Giro organisers

"The finishing bend was slightly wet. We actually knew 70:30 per cent beforehand that we wouldn't make it through. The spectacle is back, they saw us crash. I don't know if that's what it takes," said German sprinter Pascal Ackermann, criticising the course layout.

There had already been a heavy crash beforehand. This involved three-time Giro stage winner Nico Denz. The 32-year-old fell in a right-hand bend a good 100 kilometres before the finish and hit his head. Visibly dazed, the tour seemed to be over for Denz, but the Red Bull pro, known for his great commitment, picked himself up again and even made it back into the peloton.

Will Vingegaard win at the log cabin?

Portuguese rider Afonso Eulalio continues to lead the overall standings. However, his ride in pink could come to an end on Friday when the seventh stage leads up to the legendary Blockhaus. An average gradient of 8.4 per cent awaits over 13.6 kilometres. Then top favourite Jonas Vingegaard will be challenged for the first time. The two-time Tour champion from Denmark has held back so far and was able to avoid the many crashes.

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