Cadel Evans (BMC) was both a winner and a loser in today's big mountain stage of the Giro d'Italia. The former race leader lost time to most of his rivals but gained time on race leader Rigoberto Uran and even claimed that he could have taken a bit more.

Cadel Evans of the BMC Racing Team sprinted ahead of Rigoberto Uran (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) at the end of Saturday's mountain-top finish to take five seconds back from the overall leader of the Giro d'Italia. 

Evans finished 21st on the 164-kilometer stage that included four categorized climbs. But it was the final 50 meters where he made the biggest move, reducing his deficit to Uran to 32 seconds with one week of the race to go.

"It might have been a few more seconds, but there was a bit of a wave (other riders) in front of me," Evans said.

All seven of the riders immediately behind Uran in the overall standings gained time on him, with Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) taking the most – 25 seconds – with a 15th-place finish. Quintana followed an attack by Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R La Mondiale) midway up the final climb while Evans shadowed Uran.

"Someone set a really hard tempo at the start of the climb," Evans said. "That eliminated a lot of riders who might have ridden tempo – Samuel Sánchez or Steve Morabito – who could have been by my side later in the climb. So all the leaders were isolated quite early."

Enrico Battaglin won Bardiani-CSF's second straight stage after being part of a 21-man breakaway that included BMC Racing Team's Manuel Quinziato. It was Quinziato who pushed the pace onto the final climb with Albert Timmer (Team Giant-Shimano). But with less than 10 km to go, Quinziato had to make a sudden stop.

"I had a gear problem in the climb before the last one, but in the descent it seemed resolved," Quinziato said. "The problem was still there in the last climb and I had to change the bike. Fortunately Timmer did not reach the finish line in the first position. I entered in the breakaway because I saw one Saxo and one Omega Pharma rider and thought was better to be there strategically."