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.
