Cycling: Russia's Denis Menchov claimed the fifth stage of the Giro d'Italia when he edged out stage four winner Danilo Di Luca at the summit finish of the Alpe di Siusi. Di Luca still takes over from Thomas Lovkvist as race leader, with Menchov in fifth.
Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong found the stage much tougher than yesterday and is currently three minutes 34 seconds back in 22nd overall.
Britain’s Bradley Wiggins finished 22nd on today’s stage while Mark Cavendish had technical problems and ended up 192nd.
A group of six riders had established a breakaway lead after only five kilometres with the likes of Francesco Gavazzi and Thomas Voeckler setting the pace.
With 45km to go, an eight-rider group had established a lead of four and a half minutes but the deficit was being steadily eroded as they approached the Alpe di Siusi.
Gavazzi dropped out of the lead group while, with around 20km to go, David Garcia Da Pena became the fourth man to abandon the race.
The gap was being steadily reduced when, with 10km to go, Giampaolo Cheula and then Dries Devenyns attacked, and with 4km left, Ivan Basso took the lead at the head of a group of seven.
The seven were all playing cat and mouse before Menchov proved strongest and held off Di Luca to claim victory.
Basso was fourth ahead of Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner, with reigning Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre in eighth.