Navardauskas wins Giro 11th stage

VAJONT, Italy (AFP) –

Italian Vincenzo Nibali celebrates on the podium winning the pink jersey in the 10th stage of the 96th Giro d’Italia cycling race on May 14, 2013 in Altopiano del Montasio.

Lithuanian Ramunas Navardauskas of Garmin won the 11th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Wednesday following a 182km ride from Tarvisio to Vajont.

Navardauskas pulled clear of escape companion Daniel Oss 5km from home on a steep climb to win by more than a minute.

Italian Vincenzo Nibali of Astana kept hold of the leader’s pink jersey ahead of Australian Cadel Evans.

The peloton including Nibali, Evans and Briton Bradley Wiggins, came across the line just under six minutes off the winner’s pace.

After an extremely rapid start to the stage, with 53.5km covered in the first hour, a group of 20 riders broke away at the 71km mark.

German Patrick Grestch led down the first descent, 50km from the finish, but he was reeled back in by Navardauskas and Oss a further 30km down the road.

The 25-year-old Lithuanian pulled away in the steep climb up towards Vajont for his first stage win on the Giro.

Thursday’s 12th stage sees the riders tackle a 134km course from Longarone to Treviso, featuring a 400m run-in to the finish line.