17 May 2009

Belarussian takes latest Giro stage

6:39 am on 17 May 2009

The Belarussian Kanstantsin Siutsou streaked to victory in the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia but celebrations were low key after Spain's Pedro Horrillo Munoz suffered a bad fall.

The Rabobank rider was in a serious condition in hospital with head injuries and several fractures after tumbling into a ravine halfway through the part-mountain stage.

Team Columbia's Siutsou won by a large margin of 21 seconds despite looking exhausted as he navigated the cobbles of Bergamo in the closing stages.

Danilo Di Luca finished third to keep hold of the overall leader's pink jersey.

Lance Armstrong is starting to look out of contention in the overall standings... he is 25th, 4:39 behind Di Luca.

Tonight's ninth stage is a flat 163-km route around Milan.

The world's second biggest stage race finishes in Rome on May 31st.