Giro d'Italia Stage 11: Navardauskas rescues stage win for Garmin as Hesjedal struggles again

Garmin-Sharp's Ramunas Navardauskas attacked from the break on the final climb to win today's Stage 11 of the 2013 Giro d'Italia to Vajont, while behind him his team mate and defending champion Ryder Hesjedal, who lost more than 20 minutes yesterday, was once again dropped from the group containing the GC riders, slipping another 8 minutes back. 

Daniel Oss of BMC Racing clung on to finish second, a little over a minute down on Navardauskas, with mountains classification leader Stefano Pirazzi of Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox consolidating his lead in that competition by finishing third on the Category 2 climb, nearly 3 minutes behind the stage winner.

It's the biggest win to date for the 25-year-old Navardauskas, who enjoyed a spell in the maglia rosa last year after Garmin-Sharp won the Stage 4 team time trial in Verona, and continues his rich vein of form - last month, he won Stage 2 of the Tour de Romandie.

There was little change at the top of the overall standings, although Movistar's Benat Intxausti, who lost the maglia rosa to Vincenzo Nibali on Saturday, jumped clear of the GC group to gain a few seconds that see him move back into the top ten overall.

It took around 80km of today’s 182km stage for a break to finally detach itself from the front of the peloton, the move comprising around 20 riders getting clear on the Category 2 climb to Sella Ciampigotto, crested with a little over 60km remaining.

That group included serial attackers including Pirazzi and Androni-Giocattoli’s Jackson Rodriguez, who outsprinted the Italian to take maximum points in the mountains classification going over that summit.

Also present in the group were a couple of past Grand Tour winners in the shape of 2011 Vuelta champion Juan Jose Cobo of Movistar and Vini Fantini-Selle Italia’s Danilo Di Luca, the 2007 Giro champion, but it was Argos-Shimano’s Patrick Gretsch who launched a solo bid for glory on the descent.

Today’s stage finish commemorated the disaster, 50 years ago this year, when the Vajont dam burst as a huge wave came over the top, with 2,000 lives lost in the valley below, and as the road headed back up towards the location of that tragedy, Gretsch was overhauled by Navardauskas and Oss, the Lithuianian subsequently dropping the Italian as he rode to victory.

Behind, the GC group, mainly controlled by Astana throughout the day, was as expected taking things easy following yesterday’s exertions with the first big mountain summit finish of this year’s race at Altopiano del Montasio, with maglia rosa Nibali’s Astana team assuming most of the duties in controlling the pace of the peloton.

Tomorrow should also see the overall contenders maintain a watching brief with Stage 12 to Treviso providing a rare opportunity for the sprinters to challenge for the win.

Giro d'Italia Stage 11 result  
  
1  NAVARDAUSKAS Ramunas    Garmin - Sharp             04:23:14
2  OSS Daniel              BMC Racing Team               01:08
3  PIRAZZI Stefano         Bardiani Valvole - CSF Inox   02:59
4  PUCCIO Salvatore        Sky Procycling                03:07
5  MARTENS Paul            Blanco Pro Cycling             ,,
6  DI LUCA Danilo          Vini Fantini                   ,,
7  MARTINEZ Egoi           Euskaltel - Euskadi            ,,
8  PAUWELS Serge           Omega Pharma - Quick-Step     03:10
9  PETROV Evgeni           Team Saxo-Tinkoff             03:11
10 RODRIGUEZ Jackson       Androni - Venezuela           03:25
11 COBO Juan Jose          Movistar Team                 03:27
12 GUSEV Vladimir          Katusha Team                  03:30
13 KEUKELEIRE Jens         Orica GreenEDGE               03:36
14 VEUCHELEN Frederik      Vacansoleil - DCM              ,,
15 BONNAFOND Guillaume     AG2R La Mondiale              03:57
16 DUQUE Leonardo Fabio    Team Colombia                 04:12
17 GRETSCH Patrick         Team Argos - Shimano          04:20
18 LE BON Johan            FDJ                           04:40
19 SARMIENTO Jose          Cannondale Pro Cycling         ,,
20 INTXAUSTI Benat         Movistar Team                 05:23
  
Overall Standings after Stage 11  
  
1  NIBALI Vincenzo         Astana Pro Team            43:26:27
2  EVANS Cadel             BMC Racing Team               00:41
3  URAN Rigoberto          Sky Procycling                02:04
4  WIGGINS Bradley         Sky Procycling                02:05
5  GESINK Robert           Blanco Pro Cycling            02:12
6  SCARPONI Michele        Lampre - Merida               02:13
7  SANTAMBROGIO Mauro      Vini Fantini                  02:55
8  NIEMIEC Przemyslaw      Lampre - Merida               03:35
9  INTXAUSTI Benat         Movistar Team                 04:05
10 POZZOVIVO Domenico      AG2R La Mondiale              04:17