Igor Anton won the 14th stage of the Giro D'Italia this afternoon
The Monte Crostis descent which was a single track road down a mountain was withdrawn from the stage on safety grounds as the riders would have to go 37kms with no back up from their cars and no race radios to summon help should it be required and meant that Stage 14 which was from Lienz to Monte Zoncolan was reduced to 190kms.
This was a massive day in the mountains and a leading group of Gianluca Brambilla (Colnago-CSF), Bram Tankink (Rabobank) and Matteo Rabottini (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli) got 10 mins and 35 seconds clear of the Peleton.
With 50kms to go, the trio were 9mins.23 ahead and were still clear when the second category Taulis climb was also cancelled due to an alleged fans protest and the race re-routed yet again.
With no cars being allowed up the Zoncolan, the teams had to name a mechanic who sat on the back of a motorbike with a bike strapped across his bike, as the trio started the climb which has a gradient of 22%, now 3.38 ahead.
Igor Anton shot and got up the trio followed by race leader Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Michele Scarponi.
The top of Zoncolan was packed with spectators and but Eustkatel's Anton fought his way through and opened up a thirty second gap.
The Basque rider kept going as Contador left Nibali down the road which now had stewards and members of the army keeping the fans back.
Nibali came back at Contador but in a time of 5hr 4 mins and 26 seconds, Igor Anton took the stage.
Contador, who leads the race from Nibali by 3mins and 20 seconds, was booed by some of the crowd as he finished second with Nibali third, Scarponi fourth and Menchov fifth.