Source : ABC NEWS
Australian cyclist Kaden Groves’s long wait for a win goes on after he was squeezed out on the fourth stage of the Giro d’Italia.
The Australian sprinter has not topped the podium for 250 days, last doing so at the Vuelta a España in September.
A flat 189-kilometre stage from Alberobello to Lecce offered the prospect of breaking that drought but his Alpecin-Deceuninck team struggled to find the optimum position in a tricky finish and Groves came home in sixth.
But he was later bumped up to fifth place after German rider Max Kanter was controversially relegated to 103rd.
The XDS Astana sprinter was penalised for bumping with race leader Mads Pedersen in the bustle for prime position leading into the bunch sprint, although many saw it as a harsh punishment.
In addition to being docked 98 places, he was fined 500 Swiss francs ($920), lost 13 points in the race for the sprinter’s mauve jersey and handed a yellow card. Another one, and he is out of the race.
Picnic-PostNL rider Bram Welten was also carded for sitting up and decelerating into the chasing pack after leading out for eventual winner, Casper van Uden.
Van Uden led a Dutch 1-2-3, with the grand tour debutant surprising the peloton by holding off compatriots Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Maikel Zijlaard (Tudoe Pro) in a tense finish.
Pink jersey wearer Mads Pedersen was fourth, a disappointment for the Dane who had already won two stages, but also a relief after being close to two crashes.
One involved most of his Lidl-Trek team and the other took out his final lead-out man, Soren Kragh Andersen, who appeared to have badly injured his left wrist.
Pedersen’s general classification lead over pre-race favourite Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) was cut to seven seconds after the Slovenian picked up an intermediate sprint bonus. Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) is seven seconds further adrift.
Australia’s best GC hope, Michael Storer (Tudor Pro), is ninth, 36 seconds behind Pedersen.
Groves should have another chance in the fifth stage, a 151km ride from Ceglie Messapica to Matera with a rising finish.
AAP
