Giro Stage 11: Soler Abandons, Visconti Defends Jersey

The Giro d'Italia continued with stage 11, a hilly jaunt the emptied the peloton into the Emilia Romagna region of Italy. The course featured almost constant hills, so the peloton was in for a tough day. And as rainy weather rolled in, the going got tougher for the 199 kilometer stage.

Stage 11 was up and down, a tough stage for all made tougher in rainy conditions

The first casualty was Juan Mauricio Soler, the climbing talent from Barloworld. Suffering from a fractured wrist, Soler dismounted his machine about half way through the stage. He'll regroup for July and another run at the mountains classification competition after an unsuccessful Giro.

Italian champ and current maglia rosa Visconti ws able to hold onto the jersey for another day

Others were involved in crashes, and some big names that hit the tarmac included Levi Leipheimer, Franco Pellizotti, and race leader Giovanni Visconti. And while Leipheimer and Pellizotti escaped unharmed, Visconti was not as lucky. He fell hard on his left arm, and was taken to hospital for x-rays immediately following the race. The results however were negative, and the maglia rosa will remain on his shoulders as he's comfirmed for the start of stage 12.

As the Giro heats up and approaches its final week, the peloton is bcoming more and more nervous, perhaps in anticipaiton of things to come. Over the next few days, it will be very important for all of the GC contenders to stay away from trouble and out of the wind. They'll need all their energy for the coming mountain stages.