Konyshev keeps Italians at bay

Cycling

Dimitri Konyshev of Russia won a mass finish to the ninth stage of the Giro d'Italia yesterday.

He edged out the Italians Mariano Piccoli and Roberto Petito at the end of the 145-mile stage from Cava de'Tirreni to Llari, the longest section of the three-week race so far.

Petito's third place earned him a four-second bonus, which brought him within two seconds of third place overall. Konyshev's compatriot Pavel Tonkov still leads by 41 seconds from the Frenchman Luc Leblanc.

Marco Pantani, the pre-race favourite, pulled out after a bad crash on Saturday. He was one of eight riders to fall when a cat ran across the course.