Eddie Dunbar remains in seventh as Denz takes Giro sprint finish

Eddie Dunbar maintained his seventh position in the Giro D'Italia overall classification as Germany’s Nico Denz won stage 12 after outsprinting Toms Skujins.

Geraint Thomas remains in the pink jersey, with stage 8 winner and Cork native Ben Healy finishing in 108th position at the end of the mainly flat 185-kilometre stage, which started in Bra. He slips down eight places to 51st overall.

Dunbar is 2:32 adrift of Thomas, level on time with Thymen Arensman, after finishing 8:19 down on stage winner Denz.

At the business end of the stage, BORA-hansgrohe rider Denz, Skujins (Trek-Segafredo) and Australia’s Sebastian Berwick, who finished third, had pulled clear of the leading group, together with Italy’s Alessandro Tonelli (Green Project Bardiani).

Tonelli fell away with 32km to go but held on to finish fourth, while Giro leader Thomas came home safely in the peloton to maintain his two-second lead over Primoz Roglic in the general classification.

Denz said after his first Grand Tour stage win: "It’s really big for me. I’m super proud. I was not supposed to be in the break. It was up to Patrick Konrad and Bob Jungels.

"But Bob said he wasn’t at his best and he preferred to save energy to help Lennard Kamna (on Friday) so I had to replace him at the front.

"When I looked around me in the breakaway there were only monsters. Cooperation in the breakaway was very bad, then I found myself at the front on the last climb. Then I knew the finale. I had it in my mind. So I could sprint the way I wanted."

Thomas took the leaders’ pink jersey after the withdrawal of race leader Remco Evenepoel due to a positive Covid-19 test on Sunday.

The Ineos Grenadiers rider made no bid to impact on the breakaway group, which did not include any general