Davide Ballerini Wins Stage Six of Giro d'Italia

Davide Ballerini won stage six of the Giro d’Italia after successfully dodging a late crash that took out many of the race favorites. The XDS-Astana rider took the victory on the wet cobbles in Naples, managing to hold off Jasper Stuyven, who finished second. Stuyven’s teammate, Paul Magnier, came in third after nearly slipping while trying to avoid the riders who had fallen.

The incident occurred just 400 meters from the finish line when Groenewegen’s lead-out rider, Elmar Reinders, lost his balance on a tricky corner, causing a multiple rider pile-up behind him. Both Dylan Groenewegen and Jonathan Milan were caught in the crash and were unable to contest the final sprint.

In a post-race interview, Ballerini expressed his surprise at winning, stating, “Today was not on the plan. Today our sprinter was [Matteo] Malucelli – I was trying to do the maximum for him. But when we arrived on the last corner, I saw that the first two guys had a crash. I just exited from the corner, and I heard on the radio 'Go! Go! Go! To the finish! There is a gap!' I just started, and I was hoping the line would come really fast. I made it. I’m really happy.”

Wednesday’s stage five had been impacted by heavy rain and cold temperatures, but the weather improved for stage six, allowing the competitors to race in sunshine over the 141 km run from Paestum to Naples. The stage featured a straightforward route until the final kilometer, where the riders transitioned from a flat coastal stretch onto a cobbled section with two late corners.

An early breakaway included Alpecin-PremierTech teammates Luca Vergallito and Edward Planckaert, who were joined by Mattia Bais from Team Polti-VisitMalta and the Bardiani CSF 7 Saber duo of Martin Marcellusi and Manuele Tarozzi. Bais, who was the first to ascend the day’s only climb at Cava de’ Tirreni, had his breakaway companions overtaken by the peloton with 35 km to go.

Rain began to fall as the riders approached central Naples, complicating the final section of the race. The wet conditions contributed to the crash on the final corner. Bahrain-Victorious’ Afonso Eulalio remained in the overall race leader’s pink jersey, with no changes to the general classification standings after the stage.