Petrov times it right for stage victory

RUSSIA'S Evgeni Petrov won stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia as the general classification was turned on its head by an early breakaway.

Petrov timed his sprint finish to perfection at the end of the 262-kilometre run from Lucera to L'Aquila, while Saxo Bank's Australian rider Richie Porte found himself in the pink jersey at the end of the day. A group of 56 riders made an early break just 20km into the stage, with the peleton happy to let them escape.

Britain's Bradley Wiggins was part of that breakaway group and eventually finished fourth to move himself back into contention for the overall title. The breakaway group's lead extended to 17 minutes, leaving the main pack, which included leader Alexandre Vinokourov, with too much to do to retain an overall advantage.

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