Here are the final five kilometers of today's sprint. In the final kilometer, the wheels come off for Pink Jersey Taylor Phinney and World Champion Mark Cavendish. Sprinter Roberto Ferrari from Androni changes lines radically, dodging to the right, straight across the front wheel of Cavendish. Too bad Ferrari didn't look left, there was no traffic in that direction.
Interviewed briefly after the stage, he said he saw a gap, and didn't really know what happened behind him. Because Ferrari did not hold his line in the sprint - the cardinal rule of the final kilometer - The race jury relegated him. Ferrari received last position in the stage results for the day.
Initial reports put Phinney out of the race and on the way to hospital. But the young American crossed the line in the ambulance, and went to the podium to receive the Maglia Rosa. The crash happened in the final three kilometers, and so he keeps the jersey. According to UCI rule 2.6.027, Phinney did not need to cross the line in order to keep the jersey. (Thanks Ted!) The extent of his injuries remains as yet unclear. Watch for updates from Team BMC later today.
Ahead of the crash, Matt Goss Orica-GreenEdge won the stage, his second ever Giro stage. J.J. Haedo of Saxo Bank finished second.
Tomorrow is a rest day to allow the Giro field to return to Italy. Then, it's time for the team time trial.