Tinkoff-Saxo got back up to speed after having spent the opening rest day of Giro d’Italia in pink recovering from the first week of racing. Stage 10 saw a breakaway surprisingly make it to the finish line in Forlì, while Alberto Contador extended his lead over rival Richie Porte after a mechanical and penalty for the Sky rider in the finale. 

Talking to the press after the stage, Tinkoff-Saxo’s captain Alberto Contador said that it had been a hard stage despite the flat profile.

“Yesterday was about recovery and today was almost like a relative rest day, however in the end the stage had been very fast and we had to be attentive, while the 200 kilometers had their effect on the legs”, comments Alberto Contador, who gained a total of 2’47” on Richie Porte (SKY) due to a mechanical in the stage finale costing him 47 seconds and a subsequent time penalty of 2 minutes.

“There’s never an easy day and like Richie Porte’s situation today things can go wrong. Everything is possible and the best case on a stage like this is not to have bad luck. It’s something we repeat every time but it’s true that you can have a puncture or a crash on every stage. I’ve had my bad moment and now Richie had his bad moment today”, added Alberto Contador just after the stage.

"It sounds like a meaningless cliché, but it's the truth. Any day, you can lose a lot of time because of a crash or a mechanical problem, even on an otherwise straightforward stage. Today, it wasn't part of anyone's plans that Richie would lost time, although in the end he hasn't lost a lot of time, and in the end I don't think it will change much in the final result of the Giro d'Italia. And, as for who my major rivals are, nothing has changed from yesterday. 

"Yesterday it was a distinct possiblity [that I will lose the jersey in the time trial], and it still is. I think that, by the end of the week, the difference may prove insignificant.

"To tell the truth, I haven't seen tomorrow's stage yet. They tell me that it has a hard section. I have a room-mate in Ivan Basso who is a master at explaining things, so tonight, after dinner, we'll look at it calmly."

Stage 10 from Civitanova Marche took the riders 200km to Forlì on flat roads in Emilia-Romagna. A five-man breakaway took off on the first part of the stage, and, despite the fact that the gap never increased to more than five minutes, a strong tailwind and a consistent effort meant that the sprinters had to concede defeat, while escapee Nicola Boem (Bardiani-CSF) took the win.

For Tinkoff-Saxo, stage 10 was all about protecting the jersey and the captain behind the pink fabric, tells team sports director Steven de Jongh.

“Today was very good, we definitely can’t complain as the sprinters’ teams took control after the break grew to above two and a half minute. Our focus was on taking care of Alberto and making sure that he remained safe in the peloton until the finish line”, says Steven de Jongh and adds:

“It’s always hard with a fast stage right after a rest day. We had tailwind and high speed and it was hot as well. Combined with lots of roundabouts, these factors made the stage pretty nervous. So I wouldn’t say that it was comfortable for the guys today”.