NOVA GORICA: Denmark’s Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost) took advantage of a crash in the chasing peloton and went alone to win stage 14 of the Giro d’Italia on Saturday, with Mexican Isaac del Toro extending his overall lead.
Asgreen was part of an early breakaway trio but, after several riders were brought down in a crash which split up the peloton, the Dane went for broke in the final kilometres and held off the chasing group.
Australian Kaden Groves (AlpecinDeceuninck) outsprinted Dutchman Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) to take second place on the 195-km stage from Treviso in Italy to Nova Gorica in Slovenia.
A largely flat 195km run was set up for another mass finish, but the rain-slicked roads provoked a mass pileup and toppled the hopes of several favourites including local hero Primoz Roglic on the Giro’s day out in Slovenia.
Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) managed to avoid trouble and was with the chasing group which followed Asgreen over the line to increase his lead at the head of the general classification with Briton Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) climbing to second.
The Mexican began the day with a 38-second lead over teammate Juan Ayuso, but now has a gap of one minute and 20 seconds on Yates, with Ayuso a further six seconds back. Roglic stayed fifth but trails by 2min 23sec.
On Sunday, the race heads into the Alps for a 219km stage from Fiume Veneto that includes the first-category climb up Monte Grappa, but after falling on Saturday several leading contenders have an unexpected mountain to climb in the standings.
Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2025
