He who was last shall be first at Giro; also Tyler Farrar crashes out

Malori

Two years ago, Italian cyclist Adriano Malori earned the unwanted honor of the laterne rouge by finishing last at the Tour de France.

After Friday’s Stage 6 at the Giro d’Italia, the 24-year-old team Lampre cyclist will be wearing the overall leader’s pink jersey.

Malori survived in a breakaway to finish second in the day’s hilly stage, 1:10 behind stage winner Miguel Rubiano (Colombia) of team Adroni Giocattoli.

Garmin Barracuda’s Ramunas Navardauskas, starting the day in first, faded during the 128-mile bike race from Urbino to Porto Sant Elpidio.

That wasn’t the worst news for Garmin, however.

Tyler Farrar of Wenatchee, Washington, crashed early in the stage and had to abandon.

Ranked third in the sprint competition, Farrar cut his hand when he crashed and suffered some bruising. He was rushed to the hospital in Jensi, where it was determined he suffered a laceration of superficial artery in the back of his hand, but no broken bones or torn tendons.

We’re hoping he gets back to action soon. (You can leave a comment for him at the Garmin Barracuda Facebook page.)

On a more positive note, Garmin’s Christian Vande Velde finished in the bunch and rose to 5th place overall in the standings, 32 seconds behind the leader. He remains the highest ranked US cyclist at the race.

Meanwhile, Garmin’s top General Classification contender Ryder Hesjedal of Canada climbed into 3rd place overall.

Malori may suddenly be catapulted in national hero status as he’s the first Italian to hold the pink jersey in this year’s Giro.

Last year, Spain’s Alberto Contador won the race, but he was stripped of the honor after the doping allegations that arose after the Tour de France. The victory went to Italian cyclist Michele Scarponi, who rides for the Lampre team.

Top 10 overall

1. Adriano Malori (Ita) Lampre –
2. Michal Golas (Pol) Omega Pharma-Quickstep – 15 seconds behind
3 . Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin – Barracuda – 17 seconds
4. Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez (Col) Androni Giocattoli 30 seconds
5. Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin – Barracuda – 32 seconds
6. Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team – 36 seconds
7. Peter Stetina (USA) Garmin – Barracuda – 37 seconds
8. Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team – 39 seconds
9. Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Astana Pro Team – same time
10. Luke Roberts (Aus) Team Saxo Bank – 41 seconds

More results at CyclingNews.com. Also, “Where to watch the Giro d’Italia bike race.”