BBC SPORT | CYCLING | Garzelli loses pink jersey

Stefano Garzelli's day ended in further misery as the Italian, who had earlier tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, lost the overall lead in the Giro d'Italia.

Garzelli, who faces a possible suspension, lost the leader's pink jersey to Jens Heppner as he finished five minutes behind winner Giovanni Lombardi in Saturday's sixth stage.

Garzelli tests positive

Heppner, a 38-year-old German from Team Telekom, was in a small group outsprinted by Italian Lombardi at the finish line in Varazze.

Lombardi, a teammate of Italy's top sprinter Mario Cipollini, edged Ruggero Marzoli and Ralf Grabsch as he completed the stage in four hours, 56 minutes, 45 seconds.

Garzelli, the 28-year-old captain of the Mapei team, started in the 191km (118.4-mile) leg from Cuneo to Varazze hours after Giro organisers announced he tested positive for a banned diuretic.

Jens Heppner
Germany's Heppner took the leader's jersey

Two cyclists from the Ceramiche Panaria team did not start in Saturday's stage because of doping-related cases.

The doping scandal inevitably overshadowed the race results, with the stage decided by a breakaway of 12 cyclists who stretched out into a seven-minute lead.

Six of them held on until the finish, 5:05 minutes ahead of the main group which included Garzelli and race favourites Francesco Casagrande and Gilberto Simoni.

Photo Gallery: See this story in pictures

Heppner became the first German cyclist since 1981 to wear the pink jersey of overall leader.

He takes an overall lead of 3:33 minutes over second-place Garzelli into Sunday's seventh stage, from Viareggio to Lido di Camaiore in the Tuscan region.

Stage Six results:
Cuneo to Varazze, 191km

1. Giovanni Lombardi (Ita), Acqua e Sapone, 4 hours 56 minutes 45seconds
2. Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) same time
3. Bert Grabsch (Ger) s.t.
4. Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) s.t.
5. Angel Vicioso (Spa) s.t.
6. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) s.t.
7. Jens Heppner (Ger) s.t.
8. Mariano Piccoli (Ita) s.t.
9. Francisco Leon (Spa) at 18sec
10. Thorwald Veneberg (Ned) s.t.

Overall standings:

1. Jens Heppner (Ger) Telekom 31 hours 19 minutes 45 seconds
2. Stefano Garzelli (Ita) at 3min 33sec
3. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) 3:43
4. Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) 3:45
5. Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) 3:57
6. Angel Vicioso (Spa) 4:09
7. Francesco Casagrande (Ita) 4:16
8. Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) 4:27
9. Gilberto Simoni (Ita) 4:33
10. Santiago Perez (Spa) 4:36


	^^ Back to top
	Front Page \| Football \| Cricket \| Rugby Union \| Rugby League \| Tennis \| Golf \| Motorsport \| Boxing \| Athletics \| Other Sports \| Sports Talk \| In Depth \| Photo Galleries \| TV & Radio \| BBC Pundits \| Question of Sport \| Funny Old Game ------------------------------------------------------------ BBC News >> \| BBC Weather >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © MMII\|News Sources\|Privacy