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Giro d'Italia stage 11 – Live coverage

Stage 11 profile 2021 Giro d'Italia

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Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia.

After 11 long years, the sterrato of Tuscany is finally back in the Giro d'Italia. The riders will today do battle over 162 kilometres from Perugia to the town of Montalcino, which hosted the finish of that famous stage at the 2010 race.

Back then, a muddy world champion, Cadel Evans, took victory on the stage as Ivan Basso lost over two minutes when he crashed, and Alexandre Vinokourov took the maglia rosa.

This time around, maglia rosa Egan Bernal will be looking to emulate Evans and Vinokourov, rather than Basso as the peloton returns to the gravel roads. 

Preview: Montalcino gravel stage to shake loose Giro d'Italia GC battle

The 'big two' – Bernal and Evenepoel – both previewed this stage ahead of the race, with this stage being the only one the Belgian reconned. Back in February, Bernal also rode the Alpe di Mera, which will feature on stage 19.

A look at the start location in Perugia today, as Qhubeka Assos ride to the sign-on.

Here's what Bernal had to say before the start. The Colombian confirmed that he raced Strade Bianche to prepare for this stage and said that Campo Felice is very different to today's race.

Today's stage is one of our Giro d'Italia 'ambush stages' – a non-high mountain stagee where the differences can be made in the general classification.

There are only two classified climbs on today's stage, both third-category hills, though the stage will be much tougher than that simplistic summary with 35 kilometres of sterrato and plenty of smaller hills.

Meanwhile, the peloton have rolled out in Perugia and are now in the neutral zone.

EF-Nippo rider and Tuscan Alberto Bettiol, who should be among the favourites to succeed on this kind of terrain...

162km to go

Attacks from the off as the peloton is strung out under a high pace.

157km to go

A few more are trying to sneak away now, though.

50 seconds to the front group already now.

Maglia rosa Egan Bernal leads a round of comfort breaks in the peloton.

Cadel Evans: Racing on dirt roads at the Giro d'Italia is like taking an F1 car to a rally

Australian looks back to his 2010 Giro d'Italia stage victory in the mud and rain

Here's the makeup of today's break...

144km to go

Ineos are in control of the peloton.

Jonathan Castroviejo and Salvatore Puccio are the men doing the work for Ineos during this early part of the stage.

Now it's up to 7:35 for the break. There are zero GC threats out front so it wouldn't be a shock if they were allowed to contend for the stage win.

128km to go

118km to go

All the intermediate sprints and climbs (and sterrato sectors) are in the second half of today's stage, so there's nothing to fight over – for anyone – for a while.

107km to go

Belgian champion Dries De Bondt (Alpecin-Fenix) isn't having a great time at the rear of the breakaway group as they head up a rise in the road...

Here's some info on the support situation during today's stage...

Here's a shot of today's breakaway.

100km to go

Today, Bernal is on caliper brakes, 28mm tubulars, and 53/39 &11/30 gearing.

See more

Giro d'Italia tech gallery: All the new and custom tech spotted in the peloton

82km to go

The gap is still 13 minutes at the moment. A breakaway win is looking more and more likely as the kilometres tick down.

Both Francesco Gavazzi and Taco van der Hoorn have been in the break before in the Giro, with the Dutchman winning stage 3, of course. They're clearly in good form, then.

RAI have reported that team cars in the breakaway have been in a crash. The EF-Nippo, Alpecin-Fenix and Intermarché-Wanty Gobert cars were involved, with the latter being called back to the peloton. Tough for Van der Hoorn, that...

72km to go

69km to go

9.1 kilometres of this. It's uphill at the start but much of it is downhill and technical.

Astana, Trek, DSM, Bora, QuickStep, Ineos are all at the front of the peloton as they spread across the road. They're still a bit further away from the gravel yet.

65km to go

The peloton will be very spread out on this descent – the far smaller breakaway is as they head downhill. Positioning will be vital on the first part of the sector.

The peloton are only speeding up as they approach the town and then the 90-degree left-hand bend to the sterrato.

And they hit the sterrato!

Ineos and QuickStep lead the way.

Carthy, Ciccone, Bernal, Evenepoel are all up at the front.

Meanwhile the break leave the sector and hit the road. All still together.

The break on the sterrato.

Nibali and Ciccone are right up there. I haven't seen Vlasov or Yates yet.

There are splits further back in the peloton, which is lined out in single file at the moment.

Natnael Berhane and another Cofidis rider have crashed on the side of the road.

Filippo Ganna is now pushing on at the front with Bernal on his wheel.

Bevin punctures, Nizzolo is going backwards. Both among several riders in trouble so far.

Yates and Evenepoel are around 30 riders back in the peloton on the descent.

EF's Jonathan Caicedo has crashed.

55km to go

There are splits towards the front of the peloton now as they brake for a 90-degree bend and Ganna continues to push on.

Ganna misjudges a corner and has to slow down to stay on the road.

Now it's Peter Sagan on the front.

Groups are scattered along the road now. Evenepoel is not with Bernal's lead group.

The peloton on the sterrato.

52km to go

Bernal has three men with him, including Ganna.

Meanwhile the breakaway start the second sector of gravel.

30 seconds between the Evenepoel and Bernal groups.

Astana are working in the chase so Vlasov must be there.

20 seconds is the gap now. Movistar are working with Ineos in the first group.

48km to go

So all the GC men are back together. 9:25 behind the break currently.

Ganna and Bernal powering forward on that last sector.

Now the peloton hit the second sector. It's the longest of the day at 13.5 kilometres and runs largely uphill.

Formolo and Dan Martin are unaccounted for at the moment. Unsure where they are in the race.

Bernal, Soler, Yates, Ciccone, Nibali, Evenepoel, Vlasov, Carthy, Buchmann, Caruso, Bardet, Bennett, Hindley, Foss, Bilbao, Almeida are all in the main group.

44km to go

The peloton pass through the intermediate sprint with 10km still to go on this sector.

Kluge caught back to the break on a descent, by the way. He's off the front with Schmid now.

No changes in the peloton among the GC men on this climb.

40km to go

The break are a kilometre from the top of the climb, the Passo del Lume Spento.

Luis León Sánchez is working at the front of the peloton with his Astana teammates.

Vanhoucke leads De Bondt over the top of the climb.

Jumbo-Visma men George Bennett and Tobias Foss are on the move from the peloton.

Evenepoel is right at the rear of the group.

Bennett and Foss pass the 40-kilometre to go mark. They're around 15 seconds up on the peloton.

We still have no idea where Formolo or Dan Martin are.

31km to go

Aside from the Jumbo-Visma duo going on the attack, little else has happened in the 30 kilometres since the end of the first sterrato sector.

The break pass the second intermediate sprint. Meanwhile, Ineos are back on the front of the peloton.

Here's a look at today's run to the finish in Montalcino.

25km to go

Bennett and Foss have been caught. That was something of a waste of energy...

Van der Hoorn is back in the break. De Bondt is either dropped or has a mechanical.

22km to go

Astana, Movistar and Ineos move up front as the peloton reach the third sector of sterrato.

Evenepoel is right at the back of the group. He doesn't like the gravel.

Lindeman is caught by the peloton on the sterrato.

Evenepoel is hanging off the back now. Clear gap between him and the group. 

19km to go

The group is out of sight for Evenepoel now...

Bernal attacks now!

Evenepoel looks done here. Almeida is in the main group.

Evenepoel must have told Almeida that he feels like he's finished here. Hard to imagine why else his teammate would continue on without offering any help here.

16km to go

Moscon is pushing on at the front for Ineos now.

13km to go

The Belgian is over a minute down now. 

Out front, De Bondt, Vanhoucke and Schmid are pushing on as they reach the next sterrato sector.

This one is five kilometres long and takes the riders to the base of the second classified climb of the day – the other way up the Passo del Lume Spento.

Bernal still with two men on the front as they head downhill to that final sector. Astana are up there too.

Now De Bondt and Covi go on the attack in the break as they pass the 10-kilometre mark.

And now the peloton hit the final sector.

Bernal has been first or second wheel on every sterrato sector so far. Now Marc Soler is pushing on the front.

8km to go

Carthy, Bernal, Vlasov, Soler all working on the front as there are splits in the group.

Spots of rain on the camera...

Vlasov continues to up the pace. EF close the gap with Bettiol.

Covi and Schmid alone at the front now.

A look at the final kilometres after this climb.

6km to go

Jumbo-Visma and EF-Nippo lead the group up the climb.

De Bondt, Guglielmi, Vanhoucke and Battaglin are chasing behidn the two leaders.

Nibali drops from the peloton. Buchmann has a gap off the front.

Soler drops too.

Ciccone is dropped now, too!

Evenepoel is 1:40 down on the Bernal group now.

4km to go

Evenepoel struggling more on the climb. Nearing two minutes down.

Buchmann has 15 seconds on the GC men.

3km to go

Vlasov goes now. Bernal with him.

Foss, Carthy, Yates, Caruso are still there.

Caruso, Yates and Carthy can't catch. Foss is trying but not making it.

Bernal immediately drops Vlasov.

And he's straight up to Buchmann.

Bernal is by far the strongest GC rider in this race.

1km to go

Uphill to the line in Montalcino.

A sprint to the line!

They're side by side and Schmid edges ahead!

And Schmid takes it! A win on his Giro debut.

Vanhoucke takes third.

Bernal and Buchmann enter the final kilometre.

Bernal sprints past Buchmann in the final metres to finish 3:09 down. Buchmann a few seconds back.

Vlasov is next to finish. He loses about 22 seconds. Caruso, Yates and the rest another few seconds back.

Evenepoel is coming to the finish now... Bardet is there too.

Ciccone crosses the line nearly two minutes !! behind Bernal.

Evenepoel around 2:20 down, a few seconds behind Nibali.

Bernal leads the Giro by 45 seconds now. Nobody else is within a minute of him and we haven't hit the high mountains yet.

No shots of the winner yet but here's Bernal leading from the front on the sterrato.

Here's what Schmid had to say after the finish...

Here's what Bernal had to say after the stage...

Mauro Schmid celebrates his win.

Giro d'Italia: Which GC riders lost time on the Montalcino dirt road stage

Here's our race report for stage 11.

We'll have news and reaction to stage 11 from stage winner Schmid, and a number of the GC winners and losers – Egan Bernal, Aleksandr Vlasov, Damiano Caruso, Dan Martin, and Remco Evenepoel – coming in through the evening. Stay tuned!

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