Maglia Rosa Luca Paolini (Katusha), who won yesterday’s dramatic stage, was safely tucked in the much-reduced bunch behind Battaglin and finished the day with his overall lead unthreatened.

“I knew it was a hard finish for me, at the limit of my possibilities,” said Paolini after having received another Maglia Rosa on the podium. “The team rode around me from the morning, pulling until the breakaway was in reach. Then, on the two climbs, I tried to stay up front as much as possible. I was just trying to finish the stage without letting a gap open that might put my Maglia Rosa in danger. Today it wasn’t about winning the stage, but keeping the Maglia Rosa. Either way, I didn’t have the legs to sprint.”