BikeRaceInfo: Current and historical race results, plus interviews, bikes, travel, and cycling historyBikeRaceInfo: Current and historical race results, plus interviews, bikes, travel, and cycling history
Search our site:
Email Newsletter icon, E-mail Newsletter icon, Email List icon, E-mail List icon Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,

Thursday, May 21, 2026

Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page

The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you. - Neil deGrasse Tyson


Cycling's World Championships

Les Woodland's book Cycling's World Championships: The Inside Story is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing

Upcoming racing:

Latest completed racing:


Giro d'Italia stage 11 team reports

We psoted the report from stage winner Jhonatan Narvaez's UAE Team Emirates-XRG with the results.

Here's the report from GC leader Afonso Eulalio's Team Bahrain Victorious:

Afonso Eulàlio kept the Maglia Rosa after Stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia, finishing safely in Chiavari after a long day from Porcari.

Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) won the stage ahead of Enric Mas (Movistar Team), with Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana Team) taking third after 195km of racing. 

Afonso Eulalio will be wearing pink at the start of stage twelve. Sirotti photo

After yesterday’s time trial, the Giro returned to the road with a stage that started fast and became harder in the second half. A strong breakaway went clear and stayed in front as the route moved towards the Ligurian coast, where the climbs in the final part made it another day where the GC riders had to stay alert.

The hardest part came after Sestri Levante, with two short climbs before the final run into Chiavari. On a day made for attackers, the breakaway held on to decide the stage, while the GC group managed the final kilometres behind. 

For the team, the focus was to keep Eulàlio safe, manage the heat, and bring him through another day in the Maglia Rosa without problems. The team stayed close to him through the key parts of the stage and helped him finish safely with the main GC group.

Narváez and Mas fought for the stage win in Chiavari, with Narváez taking victory in the final sprint. Behind them, Eulàlio came through safely and kept the Maglia Rosa for another day.

Eulalio also continues to lead the young rider classification.

Afonso Eulalio said:
“It was another hard day, especially with the heat, but the team did a perfect job. We tried to stay safe, drink a lot and stay focused until the final. Another day in pink is always important, but we have to keep going day by day. We cannot think too far ahead. We just need to stay focused and keep fighting.”

Franco Pellizotti added:
“It was a hard stage, as we expected after the rest day and the time trial. A lot of riders took yesterday almost like a rest day, so today there was a big fight from the start until the finish. The last part was probably the hardest, but also a bit easier to control.

"Our guys did a very good job. The plan was to try to put Edo in the break, but he didn’t make it. In the end, we controlled the breakaway because Harper and Scaroni were the closest riders on GC, but they were around seven minutes down, so it was not too complicated to manage.

"It was probably the first really warm day of the Giro. The riders asked several times for ice socks, and we had six extra feed zones during the stage. They also came back to the car a few times for bottles. It was not easy to eat and drink properly because the race was very fast, especially with solid food, but they managed the day well with liquids. From now on, we will start preparing more ice socks, because the temperatures are going up compared to the last days.”

The Maglia Rosa dream continues tomorrow on a stage that comes back for a start on the coast in Imperia and finishes in Novi Ligure.

find us on Facebook See our youtube channel

The Story of the Tour de France, vol.2 South Salem Cycleworks frames Melanoma: It Started With a Freckle The Story of the Giro d’Italia, vol.2 Shade Vise sunglass holder Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Store Advertise with us!


Content continues below the ads

The Story of the Tour de France, vol.1 South Salem Cycleworks frames Melanoma: It Started With a Freckle

Here's the Giro report from GC second-place Jonas Vingegaard's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

The eleventh stage of the Giro d’Italia was one for the breakaway riders. The riders of Team Visma | Lease a Bike stayed out of trouble. The stage victory went to Jhonatan Narváez.

The first road stage of the second Giro week took the peloton from Porcari to Chiavari over a distance of 195 kilometres. The decisive part of the stage came in the finale. After an opening section on rolling roads, the riders faced three categorized climbs in the closing phase.

Jonas Vingegaard signs autographs before the stage start. Sirotti photo

After the start, a long battle developed for a place in the breakaway of the day. Following two fast opening hours, sixteen riders managed to gain some space from the peloton. The large leading group gradually thinned out during the difficult finale. In the end, Jhonatan Narváez and Enric Mas proved to be the strongest riders from the breakaway. The two fought for the stage win, with Narváez coming out on top.

In the peloton, the general classification favourites did not attack each other on the climbs. A large group crossed the finish line three minutes behind the stage winner. Jonas Vingegaard remains second in the general classification, 27 seconds behind pink jersey holder Afonso Eulálio.

“The climbs in the finale still made it a tough stage,” Vingegaard said afterwards. “As a team, we stayed alert in the peloton and reached the finish without any problems. My feeling on the bike was good today, and that’s positive with the tough stages that are still to come in the next few days.”

Third-place Diego Ulissi's Team XDS Astana posted this Giro report:

XDS Astana Team rider Diego Ulissi finished third on Stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia, while Christian Scaroni crossed the line in sixth place despite crashing in the final kilometers of the race.

Stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia started in Porcari and covered 195 kilometers to Chiavari. Early in the stage, Davide Ballerini crashed and initially tried to continue, but was later forced to abandon the race. X-rays revealed a compound fracture of the distal phalanx of the thumb on his right hand, as well as bruising to his right thigh.

After several attacks, the day’s breakaway was formed with three XDS Astana Team riders involved: Diego Ulissi, Alberto Bettiol and Christian Scaroni. Scaroni crashed in the final kilometers and was unable to fight for the podium positions, eventually finishing sixth, while Ulissi sprinted to third place at the finish in Chiavari.

Diego Ulissi finishes third. Sirotti photo

“Today we raced really well. We were always present in the breakaway attempts and in the final, We managed to get to the breakaway with Bettiol. Later, Scaroni joined us as well. In the end, there were many strong riders in the breakaway and we gave our maximum. It’s a pity about Scaroni’s crash in the final kilometers because maybe, with two of us in the finale, we could have played our cards even better. Personally, I gave everything I had and, in the end, we achieved a nice result. We’ll try again in the next stages”, — said Diego Ulissi.


Content continues below the ads

The Story of the Giro d’Italia, vol.1 Shade Vise sunglass holder Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Store

Here's the Giro report from Aleksandr Vlasov's Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe:

Aleksandr Vlasov rode to fifth place on stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia after a fast, selective day from Porcari to Chiavari, where the race opened up across the Ligurian hills and a strong breakaway went on to decide the stage.

After a rapid start and a long battle for the move, Aleks and teammate Nico Denz made it into the day’s key selection for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe. The 195-kilometre stage carried the peloton from Tuscany into Liguria, with the rolling second half of the route and several short, steep ascents creating an increasingly demanding finale.

The peloton 40 kilometers into the stage. RCS photo

As the breakaway was gradually reduced, Aleks stayed well placed among the strongest riders at the front of the race. The decisive split came on the final climb towards Cogorno, where two riders opened a gap, while Aleks formed part of the chase behind together with Ulissi and Harper.

Although the trio kept the pressure on over the closing kilometres, the leading pair held their advantage to the finish in Chiavari. Aleks crossed the line in fifth place, 11 seconds down, after another solid day for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe in the second week of the race.

Behind, the general classification remained largely unchanged for the team. Jai Hindley finished safely and retains sixth overall, while Giulio Pellizzari remains inside the top ten in ninth place. With both riders still well positioned on GC and Aleks showing strongly from the breakaway, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe came through another demanding stage with options intact as the Giro continues into its next phase.

Here's the Giro report from Andrea Raccagni's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

The hills were back on the menu at the Giro d’Italia after just a day. Following Tuesday’s individual time trial in Tuscany, the peloton took on the testing roads of Liguria for a stage that had breakaway written all over it. Four classified climbs and 2500 vertical meters were the perfect terrain for a group to go, and when this happened, after several skirmishes in a crazy fast hour of racing, Jasper Stuyven was there for Soudal Quick-Step.

“We knew it was going to be a tough day, and even though the course was a bit too hard for me, I wanted to try something in the breakaway. It was a nice group, but once the climbers came across, the balance tilted towards them. I gave my best, had a good feeling and I am motivated to try again at some point in this Giro”, Jasper said at the finish.

Inside the final 100 kilometers, Filippo Zana bridged across together with a small group, giving our team two cards for the last part of the stage, but all hopes of a good result went up in smoke after the former Italian Champion crashed on a descent - an incident that took him out of contention. The steep gradient on the final two ascents of the day was too much for the Paris-Roubaix podium finisher, who got distanced by the punchers, keen on making a selection.

Andrea Raccagni finishes tenth. Sirotti photo

With around 16 kilometers to go, Andrea Raccagni made a smart move by attacking from the bunch and getting a gap which he maintained until the finish in Chiavari - which returned as a stage finish for the first time in almost seven decades - where he took another top ten after the ones in Cosenza and Potenza. However, this had a special flavour, as it came on the roads he knew very well, in front of his family and fan club, who supported him throughout the stage and came at the finish to see him.

“The first part of the stage ran not far from where I live and it was fantastic to hear my name shout from the roadside. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people support a rider this Giro so far, it’s like a whole town came to show me their love.”

“This fueled and motivated me a lot. Today I tried to go in the early breakaway, but it wasn’t easy, as they rode full gas and I didn’t have the best legs there. But as the kilometers went by, I began feeling better and was determined to give it my best and do something. That’s why I’m content with this top ten, it’s a special result”, a smiling and emotional Andrea said at the finish.


Content continues below the ads

Advertise with us!

Here's the Giro report from Simone Gualdi's Team Lotto-Intermarché:

Simone Gualdi secured his first top ten result in his first Grand Tour. He finished a strong eighth today in stage 11, which ended in Chiavari. “And now, of course, I want to go for more,” he said.

As he gets closer to his family and friends in northern Italy, Simone Gualdi is gaining even more motivation to successfully complete his Giro d’Italia. The second part of his very first Grand Tour has already started well, as the 21-year-old rider finished eighth in Chiavari today. “My first top ten in my first Grand Tour, in my home country, feels really good,” he explained. “Especially because I haven’t had the easiest first week.”

Lotto-Intermarché animated stage 11, with Lennert Van Eetvelt spending some time in the breakaway. “At first, I tried to get into the early breakaway- it was full gas from kilometre zero today- but my legs just weren’t there. At one point Lenny did make the right move and was riding strongly at the front, but unfortunately he then crashed heavily.”

Stage eleven passes through a town. Sirotti photo

Gualdi managed to stay in the pink jersey group throughout the stage and the ‘bad’ legs he experienced at the start gradually disappeared. “When the peloton decided to ease the pace on the final climb, I didn’t hesitate and immediately launched an attack. I managed to catch two early breakaway riders and eventually finished eighth. I’m very happy with that. Now, of course, I want to aim for more.”

Lennert Van Eetvelt suffered a heavy crash in the descent with around 30 kilometres to go. He sustained abrasions to his elbow and forearm and is currently undergoing further medical examinations. More information will be communicated once those examinations have been completed.

And here's the Giro report from Team Netcompany INEOS:

Thymen Arensman retained his strong general classification foothold at the Giro d’Italia as the breakaway contested stage 11.

Netcompany INEOS rode together on a hilly day in Italy, setting the tempo at points, to ensure that Arensman remained in third place overall, 1:57 back on the maglia rosa.

Egan Bernal sits 15th overall after getting through some selfless work during the stage, pacing a reduced peloton in the closing stages.

Thymen Arensman riding the stage 10 time trial. Sirotti photo

After a rapid start, the day’s breakaway gradually split apart across the undulating 195km parcours. In the end the stage came down to a two-up sprint, with Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Emirates – XRG) fending off Enric Mas (Movistar).
Wednesday also saw the 4 Jours de Dunkerque kick off with a technical and punchy uphill finish into Laon. Kim Heiduk led the team home in 13th place as a reduced bunch sprinted it out.

Artem Shmidt and Victor Langellotti also finished within the group following a technical and crash-strewn run-in. Laurance Pithie (Red Bull – Bora – Hansgrohe) claimed the victory to move into an early race lead.