Astana Pro Team rider Fabio Aru held on the white jersey of the Best Young Rider at the Giro d'Italia on Tuesday, while team captain Vincenzo Nibali recovered from a flat in the closing stages to remain with the leaders after stage four.

22-year-old Aru, who hails from Villacidro in Sardegna, spent the majority of the 246 km from Policastro to Serra San Bruno shadowing Nibali to aid his team captain in any manner as the race moved south along the seacoast in warm temperatures but overcast skies.

"Today was a very normal day, and the basic message for Fabio was to keep Vincenzo safe and minimize any risks. In 246 km a lot can happen, but the team is very well-organized, and Aru has tremendous talent and discipline," said Astana Pro Team Director Sportif Alexandr Shefer on the Astana website.

Even the best laid plans of mice and men may go astray, though, and Astana’s strategy for the day came close to going down the drain as Nibali's rear tire punctured on a downhill section of the race with around 40 km to go, just as the rain began falling. Teammate Valerio Agnoli stopped instantly to provide Nibali with his own rear wheel. Subsequently both riders fought hard to re-establish contact with the main peloton, but Agnoli held back with the slower finishers to preserve his strength.

"We are going to rely on Valerio enormously over the whole race, and especially in the final week. He did a good job today to get Vincenzo back into the race, and there was no need for him to waste too much energy," Shefer said.

Paolo Tiralongo made a strong recovery from the injury he sustained on Monday from a crash during stage three that caused inflammation of the cartilage in his right knee. The two-time Giro d'Italia stage-winner was in the final group with Nibali until the last climb, then rode a relaxed pace to finish one minute behind stage winner Enrico Battaglin (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox).