VITTORIO VENETO, Italy -- Stefano Pirazzi won the 17th stage of the Giro dItalia on Wednesday, the first professional victory of his career while Nairo Quintana retained the overall leaders pink jersey. Pirazzi made an obscene arm gesture as he crossed the finish line and was reduced to tears following his win. "It wasnt a nice gesture, Im sorry, forgive me," Pirazzi said. "But its been five years of anger, five years of criticism. As the days went by, my moral was going down. I was here to get this victory finally, that was the target. "I was unleashing all that. Five years of criticism is a lot for a young guy. I really had to deal with a lot. Today I reached a goal that I wanted since I was a young boy watching the Giro. Im very happy. Ill enjoy it and never forget this moment." Pirazzi, who had led from the breakaway, made his move with little more than a kilometre remaining and edged out Tim Wellens and Jay McCarthy in a sprint at the end of the 204-kilometre (127-mile) stage from Sarnonico to Vittorio Veneto. The peloton crossed the line 15:36 behind Pirazzi as the top overall standings were unchanged. Quintana remained 1:41 ahead of fellow Colombian Rigoberto Uran and 3:21 ahead of Cadel Evans, with Pierre Rolland only five seconds further back. Victorias Ryder Hesjedal, the 2012 Giro champion, finished 33rd in Wednesdays stage and was in ninth overall, 4:16 back of Quintana. Svein Tuft of Langley, B.C., was in 158th after finishing 144th in stage 17. Quintana had moved into pink after Tuesdays tough leg, which was marred by confusion after some teams believed part of the route had been neutralized -- meaning the times for that section wouldnt count. "In reality there is no controversy," Quintana said. "I know what happened. Theyre creating a story which isnt there. "It would be unjust (if they took time away from me). The organization said the race wasnt neutralized so why remove an advantage that I won?" The peloton remained together for almost half the route before a group of 26 riders managed to get away. After the previous tough stage -- where the cyclists had to deal not only with both the legendary Gavia and Stelvio climbs, but with snow and rain as well -- the peloton was happy to keep a steady pace and let the escape go. The best-placed rider in the break was Damiano Cunego, who was more than 48 minutes behind Quintana, and so the pink jersey group allowed the gap to go out to more than 12 minutes. Thomas De Gendt attacked from the breakaway on the approach to the last of three classified climbs, the ascent up the Muro di Ca del Poggio. Pirazzi followed and caught the Belgian cyclist near the summit, and they were soon joined by Wellens, McCarthy and Matteo Montaguti. There were attacks off the chasing group but the quintets advantage continued to grow and it swiftly became apparent they would not be caught before the finish. The Giro returns to the mountains in Thursdays 18th stage, a 171km (106-mile) leg from Belluno, with a summit finish up to Rifugio Panarotta. The race ends on Sunday in Trieste. Tuukka Rask Bruins Jersey . Coaches are now allowed to challenge both called and potential defensive pass interference fouls under certain conditions. Steven Kampfer Bruins Jersey . -- Mixed martial arts fighter Cristiane Justino Santos has been suspended and fined for testing positive for steroids. http://www.thebostonbruinshockey.com/customized/ .com) - Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall left Saturdays game against the Senators in the second period with a left knee injury. Sean Kuraly Bruins Jersey .com Tour title, closing with a 6-under 64 for a four-stroke victory. The 22-year-old former North Texas player finished at 12-under 268 at Panama Golf Club and earned $112,500 to jump from seventh to second on the money list with $171,500. John Moore Jersey .Morse gets a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $7 million next season and $8 million in 2016 under the agreement announced Wednesday.NEWARK, N.J. -- Marshawn Lynch was there. He even talked a bit. Then he was gone, cutting short his Super Bowl media day appearance after 6 1-2 minutes. And then he was back, albeit to the side of the "mixed zone" the NFL created for players not on podiums or in microphone-equipped speaking areas at the Prudential Center. But this time he wasnt speaking, except briefly to Deion Sanders for NFL Network, to the Seahawks website, and to Armed Forces Network. Seattles star running back, wearing a cap, hood and dark sunglasses, even acknowledged he was trying to avoid being fined by the league for not meeting his media requirements Tuesday. Thats why he returned to the floor of the arena rather than disappear completely after he cut short his Q and A with perhaps 100 media members packed together trying to hear his pearls of wisdom. When he came back, one reporter asked Lynch, "Are you trying to avoid being fined by standing here?" Lynch twice nodded his head yes. Earlier this month, Lynch was fined $50,000 for not co-operating with the Seattle media. The NFL put the fine on hold, saying it would be rescinded if he complied with media obligations. "Players are required to participate and he participated. We will continue to monitor the situation," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Tuesday. Lynch has required media sessions Wednesday and Thursday. The Seahawks play the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Along with letting slip a profanity to Sanders, he three times described himself as "smooth" to the Hall of Fame cornerback, adding: "I aint never seen no talk that won me nothing." Earlier, Lynch answered 16 questions at the outset of the Seahawks one-hour availability, with topics ranging from the Denver defence to teammate Michael Robinson to, well, why he avoids interviews. "I like to keep it low key," said Lynch, who the Seahawks opted to nott place in one of the 17 areas with microphones and name plates identifying the players.dddddddddddd "Im just about action. You say hut and theres action. All the unnecessary talk, it dont do nothing for me. I appreciate that people want to hear from me, but I just go to work and do my thing. You feel me?" Whether Lynch will feel like showing up the next two days, when the Seahawks will be available in a hotel ballroom -- no barriers between them and the media -- is uncertain. Lynch also talked to teammates while standing around. Several youngsters in the stands above him asked to have footballs signed and he obliged once they tossed him the souvenirs. He also signed a Seahawks helmet, but he didnt converse with the fans. While he did that, about five dozen media members stood in front of Lynch and shouted out a few questions. He ignored almost all of them as time ran out in Seattles availability. Lynch watched as the scoreboard clock counted down to zero and, when it was announced the Seattle portion of media availability was over, he left for good. "Hes such a major factor on our football team," coach Pete Carroll said, "but in this setting he becomes somewhat of a recluse and doesnt want to be a part of it. We try and respect that as much as we can." Robinson was asked if he advised his backfield mate on how to handle media day. "Hes a grown man," Robinson said. "I dont tell him much. I think he knows what hes doing. Hes got a good plan in place, and as long as he runs inside-outside zone on Sunday, Im happy with that." Lynch never has explained his beef with the media. He regularly spoke to reporters until late in the 2012 season. In March of that year, he signed a four-year contract worth $31 million, including a guaranteed $18 million. In July 2012, he was arrested for driving under the influence near his hometown of Oakland, Calif. ' ' '