NAPOLITANO TAKES GIRO STAGE NINE

Danilo Napolitano Giro St9

Danilo Napolitano (Lampre) spoiled Alessandro Petacchi?s home sprint in Lido di Camaiore on Monday, snatching victory in a high-speed sprint on the Tuscan coast.

Petacchi?s Milram team struggled to lead out the sprint and keep the bunch under control, allowing the other sprinters to move up in the final kilometre and go shoulder to shoulder with Petacchi.

Italy?s Marco Pinotti (T-Mobile) avoided the dangers of the sprint but finished in the same time as Napolitano and so retained the overall race lead. Andrea Noe (Liquigas) is second at 28 seconds and Astana's Serguei Yakovlev is third at 54 seconds. Tuesday?s 250km tenth stage is from Camaiore to Santuario Nostra Signora della Guardia near Genoa. It ends with a nine-kilometre climb and so Pinotti does not expected to keep the overall race lead.

GIRO D'ITALIA: STAGE NINE RESULTS

7 David Arroyo Duran (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 1.43

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