Cycling: Magnusson is too fast for Cipollini

Sweden's Glenn Magnusson took off as another rider fell on the final curve yesterday and outsprinted Mario Cipollini to capture the 13th stage of the Giro d'Italia.

With several riders closely packed heading to the closing dash at the end of the 90-mile route from Varazze to Cuneo, Sergei Outchakov's bicycle slid away from under him and the Ukrainian crashed to the ground.

Magnusson, of the Amore e Vita team, who had been right on Outchakov's back wheel, took the opportunity to break away, and Cipollini - winner of four Giro stages this year and 20 in his career - could not catch him. In fact, the Italian sprint supremo let up in the final yards, allowing his compatriot Mirko Rossato to pass him for second place.

Pavel Tonkov, the reigning Giro champion, finished with the main group of riders safely tucked away in the massed sprint at the finish and still holds his overall lead of 41 seconds over the Frenchman Luc Leblanc.

The race, which ends a week tomorrow in Milan, moves into the Alps today for the first time this year, with the 14th stage taking a 143.8-mile route from Racconigi to Breuil Cervinia.