Cycling: Kiwi Corbin Strong pipped for stage win on Giro d'Italia
Lidl-Trek's Danish rider Mads Pedersen (C) sprints to the finish line to win the 3rd stage of the 108th Giro d'Italia cycling race. New Zealander Corbin Strong of Israel Premier Tech (right) finished second.
Photo:
AFP
New Zealand cyclist Corbin Strong has been pipped for a stage win on the Giro d'Italia.
Strong picked up the wheel of Dane Mads Pedersen at the end of the 160km stage and came along beside him, but was unable to get in front.
Strong, 25, finished a half a wheel length behind in second.
"It was a close sprint. I've always had confidence that I can take it to these guys in the sprint if I have a good run, and today I had a lot of confidence after stage 1," Strong told his Israel Premier Tech team after the stage.
The stage contained a number of hill climbs.
"I had to fight a lot on the climb and I dropped just before the top. It took a little longer to come back on these roads, but thankfully Jakob was there with me. For sure, it took out a bit of energy to chase back, but when I was chasing back on, I knew I had good legs as I felt really strong."
Pedersen's second-stage win resulted in him taking back the overall leader's jersey from Primoz Roglic.
"Wow, to have two stage victories already and now back in the pink that's exactly what we wanted today," Pedersen said.
The stage was the last of three stages in Albania.
Strong was 69th in general classification, just over five minutes behind Pedersen.
Greg Henderson was the last New Zealander to win a stage on a Grand Tour, taking out the third stage of the Vuelta a Espana in 2009.
After Monday's rest day, Tuesday's stage four will be a flat 189-km ride from Alberobello to Lecce.
- Reuters / RNZ
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
NZ Golfer Ryan Fox wins Canadian Open
New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox has made a habit of winning in nail-biting fashion on the PGA Tour. Fox won the Canadian Open in Toronto, in the fourth hole of a play-off. It was Fox's second play-off victory on the tour in less than a month. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.

RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Rugby: Next six months will be critical - outgoing NZR boss Mark Robinson
NZ Rugby CEO Mark Robinson Photo: PHOTOSPORT The outgoing boss of New Zealand Rugby believes he is leaving the organisation in a better place. Chief executive Mark Robinson has resigned and will leave the organisation at the end of the year after six years in the role. The nine-Test All Black said the decision was driven by a desire to join his family, who are now based in Australia. Robinson said the next six months would be a critical time for the sport. "We have massive opportunities as it relates to the international calendar that we're very close to finalising. Then we have a fantastic opportunity again around the financial model of the game in New Zealand ...to find a way to be on a more sustainable footing going forward," Robinson said. The 51-year-old felt he was leaving the organisation in a better place because of the significant potential for growth. "The focus we now have on fans and the positioning we've done internationally ...our teams, our athletes, our brands are far more recognisable all around the world. Our sponsorship base has more than doubled. "We now invest close to $40 million a year into the community game ...we're seeing community rugby numbers bounce back to sort of pre-Covid levels." During his time, New Zealand Rugby had to deal with the drawn-out Silver Lake negotiations when the US private equity firm invested in the game here, which Robinson said was an important juncture for the sport. "When you look at what we've been able to invest in over the last few years ...and we are definitely seeing green shoots and signs that we can grow revenue ...we were a little bit ahead of our time in terms of looking at that opportunity. "Seeing all the things we've been able to invest in to bring the Silver Lake deal to fruition and be able to invest over $60 million in participants and fans and stakeholders." He said it was important for the organisation to reflect the community. "Our country is very different to what it was five years ago and I think our environments and our team and our people have made huge shifts there around how accessible and open and inclusive our environments are." All Blacks head coach Ian Foster (left) and NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson. Photo: PHOTOSPORT He said it was important to preserve the history of New Zealand Rugby, while not getting left behind. "Forcing ourselves to be different in the way we think about the future of the game and the way we connect with fans and participants is a constant challenge ...because the trends around sport, recreation and entertainment are constantly evolving." A very drawn-out public All Blacks head coaching saga occurred during his time. Scott Robertson was initially rumoured to be replacing Ian Foster but ultimately Foster was given a chance to continue to the 2023 World Cup, after Robertson was announced as his successor. Robinson said New Zealand Rugby put the success of the team at the front of all the decisions. "It meant pushing and making sure we had the right people there to have the absolute best chance of winning that tournament. And then we also had the team's best interests at heart as it relates to the medium to long term and made what changes were needed to set us up for success." Robinson said leading the organisation through Covid was the toughest part of his tenure. "I think I was three weeks into the role when Covid came along ...but what we've been able to do through the immediate aftermath of Covid in terms of growing revenue by over 60 percent on an annual basis. "We also at that time took stock of where the game was at and started talking I think for the first time around this game having to be far more fan centric ...and in the community game to really focus on our participants." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
NZ Rugby CEO Mark Robinson to step down
New Zealand Rugby will lose its captain, after CEO Mark Robinson announced he is stepping down from the job after six years. He will leave at the end of the 2025 to join his family in Australia. During his time NZR has faced massive challenges including consecutive financial loses, finishing 2024 with a deficit of almost 20 million dollars. Robinson spoke to Lisa Owen about his decision.