Enrico Battaglin of Bardiani has won the fourteenth stage of the Giro D'Italia.
The race in its 97th running had rode into the Alps and this was a brutal 164km stage from Agliè to Oropa.
A break which included Nicholas Roche with Domont, Frapporti, Sella, Battaglin, Keizer, Quinziato, Longo, Borghini, Pantano, Cattaneo, Polanc, Monsalve, Vermote, Santaromia, Wellens, Quemeneuer, Timmer, Cataldo, Boasson Hagen and Hondo. started early before the first climb at the category La Serra.
Tim Wellens of Lotto Belisol shot clear and took the maximum points on offer as the twenty riders lead went out to 4.14.
With 101.6kms, there was a big crash in the peloton with about twenty riders going down including Arashiro, Dekker, Rabottini and Konstantain Siutsou of Team Sky whilst up the road, Borghini took the first intermediate sprint on a sunny day.
The delay caused the gap to the twenty riders to go out to eight minutes and ten seconds with 95kms to go and ten kilometres later, this group of twenty were 9.23 ahead.
There was decent crowds as the leaders made their way up the category one Alpe Noveis which had average gradients of 12%. It was a climb which saw Pieter Weening of Orica Greenedge climb off his bike and abandon, along with Konstantain Siutsou of Team Sky.
The gap was around eight minutes as Wellens sprinted ahead of Monsalve to take the King Of The Mountains points.
Through Trivero and heading for the category two Bielmonte climb at 1482m which was the penultimate climb before the climb to the finish at Oropa.
Pierre Rolland Bjorn Thurau, Izaguirre and Zoidl along with Nathan Haas and Ryder Hesjedal all launched counter attacks from the peloton and Hesjedal, Rolland, Thurau, Izaguirre and Zoidl were 4.36 down on the escapers with 44.8kms to go
Irishman Nicholas Roche went off the front with 44kms to go. The Tinkoff Saxo rider started to pull away on the Bielmonte and take the maximum points by being first over the summit.
Roche was 4.25 ahead of the Rolland group and 5.48 ahead of what was left of the peloton.
Miguel Rubiano crashed trying to remove his gilet and Borghini punctured as Roche was caught by the first chasing group on the road which had Albert Timmer and Manuel Quinziato of BMC go away with eighteen kilometres to go.
The pair stayed away until Quinziato picked up a puncture with 9.4kms to go as the road started to go up hill heading for the finish at the sanctuary at Oropa on a climb with gradient of 13%.
The Dutchman ploughed on as behind him, Catalado led out Nicholas Roche and Arrendondo, the King Of The Mountains leader led out the Maglia Rosa group through Favaro.
Timmer had a thirty six second lead over Pantano and Cataldo as behind them, Cadel Evans got back into Uran's group.
Timmer was caught with 2.1kms to go on one of the steepest sections of the climb.
Both Cataldo of Team Sky and Pantano of the Colombian team tried to get away. Timmer ran out of gas so Jan Polanc led as Roche and those in the original breakaway tried to bridge.
Cataldo led them out onto the cobbles but Enrico Battaglin of Bardiani got round both Cataldo and Pantano to win in 4.34.41.
Nicholas Roche finished fifth Whilst just over three minutes later, Cadel Evans finished ahead of Rigoberto Uran who continues to lead by 32 seconds.
Battaglin said about his win: "I was away all the break in the stage and I managed to come back and take the win. It is a tremendous day for me."