Cannondale-Garmin’s Alan Marangoni was fourth on stage ten of the Giro d’Italia after spending the day as part of a five-rider breakaway. The Italian and three of his escape group companions held off a surprised peloton to contest the stage win on Tuesday, a day that was expected to be dominated by the sprinters. Marangoni launched a brave attack in the finale before slotting into fourth place on the stage.

“Alan is from this region, and he as a lot of friends in the area, so he was very motivated for today,” said sport director Charly Wegelius. “He really wanted to do the race for them as well as for his team. We knew it was important to him and we wanted to give him the opportunity. He works so hard for others and he deserved it.”

The escape group of Nicola Boem (Bardiani – CSF), Matteo Busato (Southeast), Oscar Gatto (AndroniGiocattoli – Sidermec), Alessandro Malaguti (Nippo-ViniFantini) and Marangoni slipped away from the peloton in the opening kilometers of the stage. The day looked like a straightforward 200 kilometer sprint stage, but the break had other plans.

“The race was following the expected pattern until about 15 kilometers to go,” explained Wegelius. “The peloton gave the break a short leash, but I think they under-estimated how hard the breakaway was riding. Alan and the riders in the break timed their effort really well.”

The technical nature of the final ten kilometers favored the escape. With the stage win in sight, Marangoni attacked before the cobblestones in the last 1000 meters of the stage.

“Alan rode a smart race. He knew he wasn’t the quickest rider in the breakaway, so he had to try something before the finish,” said Wegelius. “He knew about the corners and cobblestones and he chose the best moment to attack. I think he chose really well.”

Marangoni pushed every bit of power he could as he drove toward the finish line but was overhauled by Boem, who held on for the stage win. Marangoni crossed the line in fourth place to cap off another strong ride with a good result for the green argyle squad.

“Me and Malaguti, he lives here, five kilometers [away]. I have a fan club at 30km to go, with my Dad and my Mum, 20 or 30 people were there. Yesterday, I asked Malaguti [to join me], because he had a big motivation to try today. I asked Bardiani for one man, and [Matteo] Busato, because he was my ex-teammate in the amateurs. We wanted to try,” Maragoni said.

“I tried with 1.5 to go, but Boem was stronger. He closed the gap and won the stage. I can’t complain. I tried."

The Giro d’Italia continues with stage 11 on Wednesday. The lumpy stage features three categorized climbs and numerous uncategorized hills. The day ends with three laps of a finishing circuit in Imola.

“We raced with a lot of heart and a lot of intent during the first week of the Giro,” said Wegelius. “You can definitely expect a similar style of racing from us this week.”