More of a splitting of the peloton than a breakaway, a group of 56 riders broke from the peloton fifteen miles into the 164-mile stage, and forty of them managed to stay clear, with Katusha rider Evgeni Petrov taking the stage win followed by Dario Cotaldo of Quick Step.
2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre, riding for Cervélo, finished third. Sasrte had started the day nearly ten minutes behind.
Astana’s Alexandre Vinokourov, returning to cycling after being banned for drug use in 2008, had been leading the Giro, He now stands 12th in the General Classification, 9:58 off the leader.
Vinokourov seemed unworried by the day’s results. “The Giro is not over yet,” he told the New York Times. “There’s still 10 days to go.”
Saxo Bank’s Richie Porte who started the day in sixth place, now wears the leader’s pink jersey. Porte finished 13th in the stage, 21 seconds behinds the leader.
“I still have no idea what happened … but I’ll take it,” Porte told reporters, according to Velonews.
As Vinokourov noted, the Giro is only halfway through, and the toughest mountain stages are yet to come. The alpine sections will select the final winners. The favorites, including Vinokourov, Evans, Nibali and Basso, are all together in overall time.
Carlos Sastre, by dint of his catching the break today, is now elevated to the ranks of serious contenders. Sastre showed his climbing ability in the 2008 Tour de France, and if he can last through the Giro, he has a good chance of notching another major win.
