Ballerini dodges a late crash to seize a breakthrough Giro stage win in Naples

Italy Giro d'Italia Cycling

Portugal's Afonso Oliveira Eulalio wears the pink jersey of the race overall leader as he pedals in the pack, during the 6th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Paestum to Naples, Italy, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Italy Giro d'Italia Cycling

Portugal's Afonso Oliveira Eulalio wears the pink jersey of the race overall leader as he pedals in the pack, during the 6th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Paestum to Naples, Italy, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Italy Giro d'Italia Cycling

Riders pedals along the coastline during the 6th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Paestum to Naples, Italy, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Italian rider Davide Ballerini avoided a crash in the final 300 meters of Thursday's sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia to claim his first victory in a Grand Tour, while Afonso Eulálio remained in the overall lead. Ballerini edged out Jasper Stuyven in a bunch sprint on cobbled roads at the end of the mainly flat, 142-kilometer (88-mile) route from Paestum to the port city of Naples. On the very last corner, a U-turn toward the finish line, several riders fell on the cobblestones and caused others to go down as well, including the favorites to contest the sprint. — who has won two sprint finishes already at this year’s Giro — was held up by the crash but managed to just about stay on his bike and drove forward, blasting past eight riders in a short distance, to finish third. Portuguese cyclist Eulálio, who , remained 2 minutes, 51 seconds ahead of Igor Arrieta in the overall standings, with Italian Christian Scaroni 3:34 back in third spot. Friday’s seventh stage is a lengthy and tough one, and the battle for the pink jersey should ignite on the first mountain showdown. Not only is the stage the longest in this year’s Giro, at 244 kilometers (152 miles), but it ends in a climb up the famous and feared Blockhaus. The 109th men’s Giro ends on May 31 in Rome. The women’s Giro runs from May 30-June 7 with Italian rider Elisa Longo Borghini as the defending champion. \\_ AP cycling: