Battaglin wins Giro 14th stage

Oropa - Italian Enrico Battaglin of the Bardiani team won the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia on Saturday, a 164km mountain run from Aglie to Oropa.

Colombian Rigoberto Uran of Omega Pharma lost ground in the final 11.8km climb with a 6.2percent gradient but holds the leaders' pink jersey.

It was the first stage of this year's Giro in the mountains, ending in the Oropa sanctuary where the late Italian climber Marco Pantani, who died in 2004, produced a memorable performance after being held up with a chain problem on his way to victory in the 1999 edition.

Battaglin, 24, lead a long break-away group to finish ahead of fellow Italian Dario Cataldo with Colombian Jarlison Pantano 0.07sec off the pace in third.

A group of 21 riders had made a break early in the race building up a lead of 9min 15sec, before attacking the final climb with a four-minute advantage.

It was the second Giro stage win for Battaglin who also won a stage last year.

Uran holds a 32sec lead in the overall standings on Australian Cadel Evans, who closed the gap by a further five seconds.

Results from the Giro d'Italia 14th stage, a 164km mountain run from Aglie to Oropa on Saturday:

Stage

1. Enrico Battaglin (ITA/BAR) 4hr 34min 41sec (average: 35,8 km/h), 2. Dario Cataldo (ITA/SKY) same time, 3. Jarlinson Pantano (COL/COL) 0:07, 4. Jan Polanc (SLO/LAM) 0:17, 5. Nicolas Roche (IRL/TIN) 0:22, 6. Albert Timmer (NED/GIA) 0:26, 7. Emanuele Sella (ITA/AND) 0:28, 8. Mattia Cattaneo (ITA/LAM) 0:33, 9. Tim Wellens (BEL/LTB) 0:39, 10. Ivan Santaromita (ITA/ORI) 0:54

Selected: 13. Ryder Hesjedal (CAN/GRM) 2:22, 15. Nairo Quintana (COL/MOV) 2:39, 21. Cadel Evans (AUS/BMC) 2:59, 22. Rigoberto Uran (COL/OPQ) 3:04, 34. Ivan Basso (ITA/CAN) 4:02, 38. Damiano Cunego (ITA/LAM) 4:54, 57. Samuel Sanchez (ESP/BMC) 9:01, 168. Svein Tuft (CAN/ORI) 32:04

Overall standings

1. Rigoberto Uran (COL/OPQ) 57hr 52min 51sec, 2. Cadel Evans (AUS/BMC) at 0:32sec, 3. Rafal Majka (POL/TIN) 1:35, 4. Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA/ALM) 2:11, 5. Wilco Kelderman (NED/BKN) 2:33, 6. Nairo Quintana (COL/MOV) 3:04, 7. Fabio Aru (ITA/AST) 3:16, 8. Wout Poels (NED/OPQ) 4:01, 9. Pierre Rolland (FRA/EUC) 5:07, 10. Robert Kiserlovski (CRO/TRE) 5:13

Selected: 11. Ivan Basso (ITA/CAN) 6:07, 12. Ryder Hesjedal (CAN/GRM) 6:13, 19. Damiano Cunego (ITA/LAM) 10:32, 25. Samuel Sanchez (ESP/BMC) 16:56