None of the favourites attacked Cadel Evans (BMC) in today's first mountain stage of the Giro d'Italia and so the Australian took over the maglia rosa from Michael Matthews. Admitting that he is in a good position, he was keen to stress that the hard part of the race is still to come.

Cadel Evans of the BMC Racing Team took the lead of the Giro d'Italia Saturday with a fifth-place finish on the first mountain-top finish of the three-week race. Evans received solid support from teammates throughout the 179-kilometer race, first in the chase of a 10-rider breakaway and later on the final two climbs, as all the escapees were eventually overtaken.

Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) won the stage ahead of Robert Kiserlovski (Trek Factory Racing). Evans crossed the line eight seconds later and donned the maglia rosa after previous race leader Michael Matthews (ORICA-GreenEDGE) was left behind on the lower slopes of the third-to-last climb of the day.

"We are in a good position at the moment," Evans said. "Today, we saw a hard stage with all the contenders right there. I think when we get to the mountains, we will see a different kind of race.

“There’s still a long way to go, but I got some seconds today and I’m very pleased to have the lead. I’ve managed to get where I am thanks to my teammates and I’m happy to be able to pay them back for such a great effort on their part.

“I’ve got an advantage at the top of the classification, but there’s a lot of climbing to come so the gaps between all the favourites will probably get much bigger. Stages like Monte Grappa and the Zoncolan are for the pure climbers, so the bigger the gap I can get, the better.

“This year I started building for the season early, aiming for good form in the Tour Down Under and the Australian Nationals. Then I started working towards here in May.

“I’m not scared I’m in good form too early, I went to the GIro di Trentino with the aim of progressing towards a peak of form in the third week. If I want to win the Giro I’m going to have be in good form then.

“The leader that goes down in history is the one that has it on the last day [but] this week, we saw that the race could be won or lost in the first week, too.

“We’ve been racing cautiously, minimizing the risks. We’ve ridden really defensively so far. But it’s been a good tactic.”

With 13 stages to go, Evans holds a 57-second lead over Rigoberto Uran (Omega Pharma-Quick Step). Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) is third, at 1:10, while BMC Racing Team's Steve Morabito is fourth, at 1:31.

"Steve was really the man of the day for us," Evans said. "The team was going all day and he was there all the way to the finish."

Morabito – part of the BMC Racing Team's Tour de France team when Evans won the race in 2011 – drove the pace for the past world road champion in the final kilometers.

"I am in good shape right now, but I think we have a stronger team around Cadel now too," Morabito said. "I did not have to do work at the start, so that let me have more power for the finish. The team helped me, because they expect me to be in the front to help Cadel at the end and show what I have in my engine."

"In the final, I think Cadel asked Morabito to try to close the gap and try for the win," BMC Racing Team Sport Director Fabio Baldato said. "But our first objective was to keep Cadel safe and not to be the only team working at the front to control the race."

Evans now leads a grand tour for the sixth time in his career and for the first time since winning the 2011 Tour de France. He previously wore the maglia rosa once – for one day in 2010 after Stage 2 – on the way to a fifth-place finish overall and the points classification title.

This also marks the third time the BMC Racing Team has had a rider lead a grand tour, all accomplished by Evans. In 2010, he donned the maillot jaune at the Tour de France after Stage 8 but could not hold onto it after fracturing his left elbow in a crash.

Baldato said there is no increased pressure on the BMC Racing Team to defend the lead over the next two weeks.

"For sure, we will do our race," he said. "We now know who will be the contenders, who will be the strong riders."