"The last thing we needed": Scaroni shakes off stage 11 crash with a commendable effort, but race ends for Van Eetvelt
Cycling
Cristian Scaroni did everything right in the eleventh stage of Giro d'Italia and yet, he walked away with a mere 6th place and multiple scars. The 195-kilometer stage from Porcari to Chiavari brought about an eventful afternoon with a compact breakaway battling for a stage victory while being kept on a short leash by the peloton.
It's taken nearly two hours for a group to finally form at the front as the riders entered a hilly section in the second half of today's stage. For XDS Astana Team, the situation was near-perfect with two pawns - Scaroni and Diego Ulissi - in the mix. Until a disaster struck.
Heading towards an exciting finale with two 5-kilometer climbs left to conquer, the previously dropped Aleksander Vlasov managed to bridge back in a descent. Using his momentum, the Russian rider immediately pulled over to the front and kept pushing the pace. This change of pace put fellow escapee Lennert Van Eetvelt in difficulty, causing a domino-effect crash with Filippo Zana and Scaroni also involved.
Scaroni fought and almost bridged back across to the front group, but just as he was on the verge of contact, Mas accelerated. That acceleration split the group with only Narváez able to follow, but more importantly, it spelled the end of Scaroni's chances: "Ah, yes, unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Still, I gave it my all from the crash right through to the end," Scaroni
said in a brief response for CyclingProNet.
Scaroni will try again some other day
Thus, the Italian completed unintentionally a second 40-kilometer time trial within two days, but to no avail. Even though his crash looked dangerous, the 28-year-old should be normally fit to start tomorrow's stage.
Cristian Scaroni was caught up in a crash of Filippo Zana and Lennert Van Eetvelt
"Nothing’s broken, which is the main thing. There are definitely some nasty scrapes and bruises, and that crash was the last thing we needed," Scaroni said. "But in a few days, I’ll be ready to fight again."
Race ends for Van Eetvelt
Unlike Scaroni, Lennert Van Eetvelt's landing seems to have been much harder, as his team Lotto-Intermarché informed that the Belgian suffered, besides some abrasions, a fracture in his middle finger. This injury will prevent Van Eetvelt from partcipating in the stage 12 of this year's Giro d'Italia, as focus is placed on recovery with Tour de France start in mind this July.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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Lennert Van Eetvelt crashed heavily in a descent during stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia. Besides suffering abrasions to his elbow and forearm, he also broke the middle finger of his left hand in the crash. Starting stage 12 tomorrow has therefore unfortunately become impossible.
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