Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Slovakian takes points jersey but loses photo finish to Démare on stage 4 His maddening sequence of near misses continued with second place to Groupama-FDJ sprinter Arnaud Démare on stage 4 of the Giro d'Italia but the Slovakian bore the defeat with good grace on Sicily's Tyrrhenian coast "Now I've almost had more second places in my career than first places," Sagan deadpanned when he took a seat afterwards in RAI television's booth behind the podium Sometimes you manage to win by a centimetre They did a lot of work on the climb and in the end we got to the finish with a lot of other sprinters like Elia Viviani and Démare." Sagan's 113 victories still top his 105 second-place finishes in the professional ranks when he flashed across the finish line on the Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo on Tuesday it initially looked as though he might have done enough to notch up his 114th win and break a 454-day duck dating back to last year's Tour de France Sagan's Bora-Hansgrohe team had looked to take advantage of the category 3 climb of Portella Mandrazzi midway through the 140km stage from Catania to rid the peloton of some of the most dangerous fast men "We all knew that Bora were going to push on the climb in the middle of the stage," said Michael Matthews (Sunweb) Bora-Hansgrohe succeeded in jettisoning Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) and Álvaro Hodeg (Deceuninck-QuickStep) out the rear of the peloton but there was still a large contingent of sprinters in contention come the finish Sagan marked his former Liquigas teammate Elia Viviani (Cofidis) in the closing kilometres before opening his effort with 200 metres to go but Démare and Davide Ballerini (Deceuninck-QuickStep) drew level and the three riders threw their bikes at the line almost in unison the commissaires awarded the stage win to Démare with Sagan given the nod for second ahead of Ballerini who appears to be warming to his task in his Giro debut after a frustrating outing at the Tour de France where he conceded the green jersey to Sam Bennett Thanks to his two second-place finishes on two very different finales in Sicily Sagan has also moved into the maglia ciclamino of points classification leader Given his ability across all sorts of terrain the classification should inevitably sharpen into focus as on objective as the race progresses through southern Italy over the remainder of the week – "I'll try to keep it" – but the 30-year-old's immediate focus is on getting across the line first before the Giro is out Sagan shrugged when it was put to him on RAI's Processo alla Tappa analysis show that his luck would have to turn sooner or later Vini Zabù-Brado-KTM rider suffered concussion and nose fracture in stage 4 crash The Italian and his teammate Etienne van Empel were taken out by moving barriers at around 800 metres from the line of the sprint stage with team general manager Angelo Citracca saying on Italian television post-race talk show that a helicopter had flown too low and blown the barriers across the road and into the path of the riders Van Empel was able to get back on his bike and finish the stage but Wackermann was knocked unconscious and taken to hospital A team press release issued later on Tuesday evening listed Wackermann's injuries "The first report from the University Hospital of Messina says that Wackermann suffered a concussion following a head injury multiple contusions to the face and lumbosacral zone a contusion to the lips and the dental arch and a suspected lumbosacral fracture that is going to be X-rayed again "Wackermann will spend the night in hospital kept under observation missing that chance to live a longed-for pink dream vanished because of an episode that could have caused much worse damage." A representative of race organisers RCS Sport told Cyclingnews that the barriers at the side of the road were tied together and that the wind was low suggesting that the RAI helicopter was to blame Vini Zabù directeur sportif Francesco Frassi said that the cause has yet to be fully determined adding that the team's worst fears about Wackermann's injuries are over "They told us that the barriers moved suddenly," said Frassi "We don't know exactly why; if it was because the helicopter flew too low or if the wind picked up "Fortunately Luca Wackermann came around in the ambulance I've spoken to him on the phone and he was okay he was calm and so our worst fears are over He couldn't remember anything about what happened He doesn't seem to have anything broken but we're waiting on what the checks-up in hospital reveal." Wackermann and Van Empel were the only two riders affected and were pictured laying on the ground besides their bikes shortly after Groupama-FDJ sprinter Arnaud Démare was confirmed as the stage winner in a photo finish Van Empel later took to Twitter stating that he has only suffered "small cuts on my fingers" and adding that the barrier flew into the group he was riding with "out of nowhere" The loss of Wackermann represents a big blow to the Italian team, racing the Giro as wildcard entrants. The 28-year-old, who won the Tour de Limousin back in August and finished fifth on stage 2 to Agrigento Vini Zabù will now be looking to Giovanni Visconti to lead the way in the quest for a result over the next 17 days of racing Dani has reported from the world's top races She has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars and her favourite races are the Giro d'Italia The 2020 Giro d’Italia will begin in Sicily in October after organisers announced on Friday a revised start for the coronavirus-delayed Grand Tour The opening stage of the 103rd edition will be a 16-kilometre individual time-trial around Palermo on October 3 some five months after the race had been due to start in the Hungarian capital Budapest.  The Giro’s second stage will be a 150km run between Alcamo and Agrigento the following day The first major climb comes in the third stage on October 5 when riders will take on Mount Etna arriving at an altitude of 1,775 metres on the Piano Provenzana A sprint finish at Villafranca Tirrena following a 138km ride from Catania in the fourth stage will finish the Giro’s spell on the island on October 6 It will be the first time since 2008 that the Giro launches its ‘Grande Partenza’ in Sicily and the ninth time in the race’s history In Italy the Giro was branded the biggest loser when cycling’s revised calendar was announced in May because the three-week race has a six-day overlap with the Vuelta a Espana and will be raced at the same time as three ‘Monument’ classics The opening four stages of the 2020 Giro d’Italia: October 5: 3rd stage Enna - Etna (Piano Provenzana) October 6: 4th stage Catania - Villafranca Tirrena please register for free or log in to your account Veteran Dutch rider suffering with ‘light dizziness’ The 39-year-old Dutchman was considered a key domestique for Vincenzo Nibali but the Trek-Segafredo team is now down to seven riders.  Weening only joined Trek-Segafredo on June 5 having been without a team for the early stages of the 2020 season before the COVID-19 pandemic folded at the end of 2019 but he kept training and was signed by Trek-Segafredo team for the busy rescheduled season.  Giro d'Italia 2020: Stage 5 preview Weening crashed hard during stage 4 to Villafranca Tirrena after taking a bidon from a roadside soigneur He lost control of his bike and became entwined with the frame He got up to finish the stage and Trek-Segafredo said he had suffered normal abrasions “that will make him sore and uncomfortable for a few days but nothing that will prevent him from starting Stage 5.”   However half way through the 225km stage in the Calabian hills Trek-Segafredo announced Weening had been pulled from the race “Due to light dizziness felt during the stage (the) team decided to withdraw @WeeningPieter.” Trek-Segafredo wrote on social media “The Dutchman had been closely monitored yesterday in the night and today in the morning and the conditions had allowed the start.  “In the next few hours he will undergo clinical tests.” Weening had complained about the current design of bidons that have caused several crashes during the Giro d’Italia “A full bottle is like driving over a brick, they’re unstoppable,” Weening said.  “They used to fall apart because they had pressure caps. Now they have screw caps and that doesn’t happen anymore. They are now actually life-threatening when they roll down the street into the peloton.” Weening is the sixth rider to abandon this year’s Giro d’Italia.  Miguel Ángel López crashed during the opening time trial in Palermo. Luca Covili (Bardiani-CSF), Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana) abandoned, while Luca Wackermann did not start stage 5 after a low-flying helicopter blew the metal barriers into the race. He suffered multiple injuries, including concussion.  Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999 and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling.