Asgreen wins and Del Toro pads Giro lead as rain brings down rivals
A largely flat 195km run from Treviso in Italy to Nova Gorica was set up for another mass finish, but the rain-slicked roads provoked a mass pileup that split the peloton and toppled the hopes of several favourites including local hero Roglic.
Mexican Del Toro, who had been looking over his shoulder at UAE team-mate Juan Ayuso, increased his lead to a more 1min 20sec as Simon Yates jumped to second overall.
Agreen was one of the fallers but bounced up and set off on the right side of the split with less than 20km to go after riders piled up on a cobbled corner entering the final loop round Nova Gorica for the first time.
"That's not how you want to take time off the others. But that doesn't change anything for me," he said at the finish.
Giulio Ciccone, who started the day in seventh overall, hurt his knee and took a long time to get moving again. By the end he had lost 15 minutes.
Antonio Tiberi, in third overall before the crash, was slow to remount and, with three waiting team-mates, time-trialed desperately after the pack to finish two minutes behind Algreen.
The Dane was part of breakaway that was nursing a 28-second lead until the crash split the peloton and ended the chase.
Of the leaders in the overall standings Mexican del Toro, Englishman Yates, Canadian Derek Gee and Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz were in the leading group.
As the group passed the same spot on the next circuit, Del Toro lost control of his back wheel and only stayed upright after an alarming slide round the corner.
Asgreen, the loan survivor of the original breakaway, finished 16 seconds ahead of his closest pursuers.
"It's frustrating to have to completely destroy yourself like that to win a race, but when it works, it's absolutely worth it, so I'm incredibly happy," he said at the finish.
Kaden Groves edged fellow sprinter Olav Kooij in a battle for podium places and points with Del Toro and Yates rolling over in their slipstreams.
Roglic, who started the day in fifth, and Ayuso, who had been second, were 1min 4sec behind Asgreen. Ayuso dropped to third, 1min 26sec behind his team-mate. Roglic stayed fifth but trails by 2min 23sec.
Tiberi lost two minutes and Ciccone finished 15 minutes down.
Agreen's EF Education team-mate Carapaz jumped to fourth overall.
"The rain makes it harder for the bunch," said Asgreen. "The final circuit was quite technical, and with wet roads it was even harder."
On Sunday, the race heads into the Alps for a 219km stage from Fiume Veneto that includes the first-category climb up Monte Grappa, but after falling on Saturday several leading contenders have an unexpected mountain to climb in the standings.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
12 hours ago
- France 24
Oilers beat Panthers in OT to win NHL Stanley Cup Final opener
The 29-year-old German center scored his second goal of the game on a power play from in front of the net, Oilers captain Connor McDavid taking a pass from Corey Perry and firing the puck to Draisaitl, who beat Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. "It was just a number of really good plays -- great pass by Corey down low to get it to Davo (McDavid) and then obviously a great pass by Davo," Draisaitl told Canada's Sportsnet. Draisaitl's NHL record-tying third over-time goal of the playoffs gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven championship series, which continues Friday in Edmonton. "It's a great start for us, but, yeah, we've got to regroup and get ready for game two," Draisaitl said. Czech winger Tomas Nosek of defending champion Florida received a delay of game penalty for knocking the puck over the glass from his defensive zone with 1:43 remaining in the overtime, setting the stage for the decider as the Oilers battled back from a two-goal deficit. "We've done it all year, especially in the post-season," Draisaitl said. "We stick with it and we're never going to quit." No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since Montreal in 1993, but the Oilers hope to end the 32-year drought and win their first Cup since 1990. It's a rematch of last year's final, when Florida beat Edmonton in seven games, the Oilers pushing that series to the limit after losing the first three games. "I think we're just a little bit more mature (than last year)," Draisaitl told US broadcaster TNT. "Obviously every other game writes its own story, but I thought we hung in there. We were mature and obviously we just needed one look and capitalized on that." No NHL team has defeated the same rival in back-to-back finals since Montreal beat Boston in 1977 and 1978. The Panthers, who lost to Vegas in the 2023 final, fell to 8-3 on the road in this year's playoffs while the Oilers improved to 7-1 on home ice in the post-season. Draisaitl opened the scoring after only 66 seconds, blasting a rebound into an open net after Bobrovsky made two of his 42 saves. Florida's Sam Bennett knocked in an equalizer 10:49 into the first period after being tripped into Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner. Brad Marchand, traded from Boston to Florida in March, put the Panthers ahead 2-1 only 1:41 later on a power play goal. Bennett delivered his second goal of the night and team-record 12th of the playoffs 2:00 into the second period, but the Oilers answered 77 seconds later, Swedish left wing Viktor Arvidsson lifting Edmonton within 3-2. Skinner, a 26-year-old Canadian, made 16 of his 29 saves in the second period to keep the Oilers close. Edmonton found the equalizer with 13:27 remaining in regulation as McDavid's shot was knocked in by Swedish defenseman Mattias Ekholm.
France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
Oilers try to end Canada's NHL title drought by dethroning Panthers
The Oilers, powered by superstar Connor McDavid, will face defending champion Florida in the NHL's best-of-seven championship series in a rematch of last year's final, won by the Panthers in seven games. Not since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993 has a Canadian team captured the trophy, but in what has been an intense US-Canada rivalry year, the Oilers have a chance to end the epic drought and US possession of the Cup. "It's going to be an incredible battle again," Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said. "They're playing some pretty dominant hockey, so we're excited for the challenge. We've got to be ready for it." A US-Canada grudge match fueled by political overtones could be in the making when the series begins on Wednesday in Edmonton. US President Donald Trump began the tensions by calling for Canada to become the 51st state, even calling former prime minister Justin Trudeau "governor" as if he were only in charge of a US state not a nation. Tariffs against the border neighbors didn't help either. It all boiled over in the NHL's Four Nations Faceoff tournament when the United States played Canada at Montreal in a round-robin game on February 15 and fans booed the pre-game singing of the US national anthem. Once the puck was dropped, there were three fights in the first nine seconds as the crowd roared. A hard-hitting contest followed with the Americans winning 3-1. Five nights later, the USA and Canada met in the tournament final at Boston, where microphone-wearing referee Gord Dwyer said, "Let's get ready for an epic battle," before dropping the puck. Only one penalty was called and the teams delivered a world-class contest with McDavid scoring the winning goal for Canada in a 3-2 overtime triumph. "You can't take our country -- and you can't take our game," Trudeau posted on X moments after the finish. Heated emotions remain in US-Canada relations. Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky faced backlash at home over his support for Trump. 'Never say never' Travel from Canada to the United States has dipped dramatically and new Canadian prime minister Mark Carney had a minor confrontation in a White House visit with Trump. Carney told Trump Canada would never be for sale, with the US leader replying, "Never say never." That is the backdrop for the Oilers and Panthers rematch, the 12th time the same two teams meet in consecutive Cup finals, the first since Pittsburgh beat Detroit in 2009 after losing to the Red Wings the previous year. No NHL team has beaten the same rival in back-to-back finals since Montreal beat Boston in 1977 and 1978. McDavid and German teammate Leon Draisaitl lead all NHL playoff scorers and Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner has rebounded after losing his starting job earlier in the playoffs. The Panthers seized a 3-0 lead in last year's final before the Oilers pulled level only to fall in game seven. "I think we were better for going through last year. It was a great learning experience and it has really driven us all year," McDavid said. "This run has felt different than last year. It has felt very normal. It hasn't been as emotional. We haven't had the highs and we haven't had the lows. It has just kind of been steady and I think that has put us in a good position." Florida makes a third consecutive finals appearance, having lost to Vegas in 2023 before winning last year. The Panthers are sparked by Finnish forward Alexander Barkov, who has six goals and 11 assists to lead Florida in this playoff run. Sam Bennett has a playoff-best 10 goals for the Panthers and right wing Matthew Tkachuk, who started one of the early fights in the US-Canada Four-Nations slugfest, brings an emotional lift to the trophy holders. Russian 36-year-old goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is 12-5 in the playoffs with a 2.11 goals-against average for Florida.
France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
Cruz Azul thrash Vancouver Whitecaps to win CONCACAF Champions Cup
Angel Sepulveda scored twice for Cruz Azul, who led 4-0 at half-time in Mexico City and equal rivals Club America's record of seven CONCACAF titles. Sepulveda finished as the tournament's top-scorer with nine goals while the Whitecaps became the third Canadian team to reach the final and lose. It was also the third straight year in which an MLS team has been beaten by a Mexican club in the continental final. The Whitecaps had high hopes of becoming the first Canadian team to win the trophy having beaten two top Mexican teams, Monterrey and Pumas, on their journey to their first appearance in the final. But they were utterly outclassed by the Mexico City club. It was an uncharacteristically poor performance from Jesper Sorensen's Whitecaps, who were punished by some ruthless finishing from the Mexican side. Cruz Azul enjoyed home advantage at their Estadio Olimpico Universitario and they immediately brought the crowd to their feet with an eighth-minute opener. The Whitecaps gave the ball away in their own half and Carlos Rotondi pounced, threading the ball through to Ignacio Rivero, who took it first time with his left foot to fire into the far corner. It was another giveaway that led to the second, 20 minutes later, when Andres Cubas lost possession and Lorenzo Faravelli showed no hesitation as he unleashed a fierce drive which crashed in off the inside of the post. The Whitecaps, who beat Inter Miami in the semi-final to reach their first CONCACAF title game, looked nothing like the team that has impressed so much this season and they were soon in deeper trouble. The Vancouver defence were slow to react to a quick throw-in and Rotondi broke down the left and delivered a pinpoint low cross which Sepulveda deftly flicked past Yohei Takaoka. It was one-way traffic and Vancouver were punished again when a half-clearance fell to Polish midfielder Mateusz Bogusz just outside the box. The former Los Angeles FC player drilled home from the edge of the box. Cruz Azul went in at half-time having scored four goals from four attempts on goal and with their opponents looking shell-shocked. It got worse five minutes after the restart when Cubas was robbed again in deep midfield and from the counter-attack Jorge Sanchez crossed and Sepulveda rose superbly to head home his second and his ninth goal in the competition. "We took the final very seriously and it was a perfect performance. The truth is that we had the game wrapped up by half-time," said Mexican international Sepulveda. Daniel Rios, Vancouver's Mexican striker said the team had been impacted by playing at high altitude with the game played at 2,240 metres (7,350 feet) above sea level. "We made a couple of mistakes and they were very decisive every time they attacked. The altitude really affected us, we couldn't adapt and we're going home disappointed," he said. The victory gave Cruz Azul qualification for two FIFA competitions -- the 2025 Intercontinental Cup and the 2029 Club World Cup.
