Chris Harper has become the latest Australian cyclist to power into the top-10 at the Giro d'Italia, though his sterling bid to win was eclipsed by Jhonatan Narvaez's record-breaking third triumph of the race.
Harper clawed back three minutes in the general classification after finishing fourth in Wednesday's 11th stage, a tough 195km slog in Liguria, to push himself into 10th place, and join compatriots Ben O'Connor (fifth), Jai Hindley (sixth) and Michael Storer (seventh).
That's a considerable achievement from the Australian contingent, who have been performing admirably since two major riders, Kaden Groves and Jay Vine, were forced to abandon last week after crashes.
Harper, who earned his first Grand Tour stage triumph at the Giro last year in Jayco AlUla colours, this time tried to prevail for his new team, Pinarello Q36.5 Pro, as he was in a breakaway group of five battling for victory on the final climb.
