Jhonatan Narvaez wins Giro d’Italia stage 11 as Afonso Eulalio keeps lead

Ecuador’s Jhonatan Narvaez sprinted to his third stage victory of this year’s Giro d’Italia by edging out Enric Mas at the end of a 195km route to Chiavari, while Afonso Eulalio retained the overall lead.

The UAE Team Emirates XRG rider outpaced Movistar’s Mas to the line after the pair broke clear of their fellow escapees on the final climb.

Italian Diego Ulissi finished in third place to complete the podium on a demanding day in the saddle.

Mas falls short despite late attack

Making his debut in the Italian Grand Tour, Mas launched a blistering attack on an uncategorised climb just before the finish.

However, the three-time Vuelta a Espana runner-up was unable to distance his South American rival on the ensuing descent.

“Mas was the strongest in the climb and I knew I had to play my game, I just tried to defend myself on the uphill.”

“I was scared because when he did the sprint he almost closed me on the barriers and I was on the limit, but it was full gas racing all day, because we don’t race just in the uphills, we race on the downhills also.”

Eulalio maintains advantage over Vingegaard

The main peloton safely crossed the line more than three minutes behind the breakaway duo, ensuring no significant changes at the top of the general classification.

Bahrain Victorious rider Eulalio successfully defended his 27-second advantage over pre-race favourite Jonas Vingegaard.

The Portuguese cyclist will continue to wear the coveted pink jersey during Thursday’s stage 12.

The upcoming route features a relatively flat 175km journey from Imperia to Novi Ligure, which is widely expected to favour the remaining sprinters in the field.