Alberto Bettiol solos to stage 13 victory in Verbania – Giro d’Italia

Italy’s Alberto Bettiol won stage 13 of the Giro d’Italia with a stunning acceleration on the final climb in the Italian lakes. Bettiol, of XDS-Astana, rocketed past Norway’s Andreas Leknessund over the top of the ascent on a road packed with fervent Italian fans, after the pair pulled away from the rest of a strong breakaway group. Bettiol, 32, eventually won the 189km stage in bright sunshine by 26 seconds over Uno-X Mobility’s Leknessund, despite nearly crashing after bouncing violently over a drain grate as he took more and more risks to secure victory.

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Alec Segaert springs surprise attack to win stage 12 – Giro d’Italia

A fantastic day for Bahrain Victorious saw Alec Segaert soar to a surprise win in Stage 12 at Novi Ligure after race leader Afonso Eulalio extended his grip on the pink jersey by six seconds over his rivals after sprinting clear at the Red Bull KM. If Portuguese climber Eulalio now leads Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard by 33 seconds after thriving on his eighth day in the fabled maglia rosa, all eyes at the finish were on his Belgian team-mate Segaert, who launched emphatically with 3km remaining to steal a march over everyone else in the reduced peloton.

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Narváez outsprints Mas to complete hat-trick of wins on stage 11 – Giro d’Italia

Ecuador’s Jhonathan Narvaez took his third victory of the Giro d’Italia – and a fourth triumph for UAE Team Emirates-XRG – by out-kicking Spain’s Enric Mas (Movistar) in a thrilling conclusion to Stage 11 in Chiavari on the Ligurian coast. Narvaez and Mas were part of a stellar 17-man move that eventually came together, veteran climber Mas tried his best to distance his breakaway companions on the succession of punchy climbs – but the 31-year-old met his match in the in-form Narvaez, who clung on before showing his class on the flat dash to the line.

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Primož Roglič seals Vuelta a España title with victory in final time trial

Primož Roglič is the Vuelta champion again after another imperious display in Spain. The 31-year-old backed up his time trial gold medal from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with another brilliant performance. Roglic finishes the race 4:42 clear of Enric Mas in the GC, with Jack Haig completing the podium.

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Clément Champoussin takes shock victory on stage 20 – Vuelta a España

Primoz Roglic has a 2:38 lead in GC heading into the final stage, with a third straight red jersey now looking a formality. But he will be left to wonder what might have been after hesitancy allowed Clement Champoussin to stage a massive upset on a race dubbed a ‘mini Liege-Bastonge-Liege’.

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