Philip Deignan earns podium finish on Giro d’Italia stage

Ireland's Philip Deignan claimed a place on the podium of the Giro d'Italia after a tough the tough 171km 18th stage from Belluno to Rifugio Panarotto.

The 30-year-old from Donegal was signed by Team Sky for his prowess in the mountains and he showed his toughness to come in behind the Colombian duo of Julian Arredondo and Fabio Duarte.

King of the Mountains leader Arredondo showed how much the stage took out of him, weaving from side to side and constantly looking behind him for his faster-finishing compatriot before taking the line in a time of 4:49.51.

Duarte came home 17 seconds adrift with Deignan 37 seconds behind the stage winner.

Nairo Quintana holds on to his one minute and 41 second lead over Rigoberto Uran in the battle for pink jersey as Cadel Evans cracked in the final stages and dropped out of the top three in the overall standings.

Frenchman Pierre Rolland, who was the main attacker in the second part of the final ascent, climbed up to third overall, 3:29 off the pace.

He has a two-second lead over fourth-placed Fabio Aru of Italy, whose burst in the last 500 metres helped him gain a handful of seconds over the other favourites.

Australian Evans, the 2011 Tour de France champion, could not sustain the pace in the last climb and dropped to ninth overall, almost five minutes behind Quintana.

Deignan moved up five places on GC to 37th, while Nicholas Roche moved up one spot to 32nd after finishing 35th on the stage.

Friday’s 19th stage is a 26.8-km uphill individual time- trial from Bassano del Grappa to Cima Grappa.