Paolo Tiralongo has won stage nine of the Giro D'Italia.
Alberto Contador of Tinkoff Saxo was still leading the race for this 224km stage from Benevento to San Giorgio del Sannio.
The break started early and saw Carlos Betancur, Tiralongo, Colbrelli. Moinard. Ellisonde, Herrada. Lopez. Hesjedal, Slagter, Geschke.Belokov and Krujswijk of LottoNL-Jumbo with a 3.48 lead after 75kms.
As they went over the Termino climb with Geschke taking the points, their lead stood at 5.53.
Serge Paulinho flew out of the peloton and went charging after the eleven escapers who were 4.45 ahead of the maglia Rosa group.
With eighty four kilometres remaining, the peloton had worked to cut that lead down to 2.26.
Jelle Slagter launched an attack off the front of the escape group and was six minutes ahead of the peloton going in to the final fifty kilometres of the stage.
Slagter had a 1.32 lead on the chaser and 5.39 on the bunch and was 1.23 with twenty five kilometres to go and approaching the final climb with its summit with 11.3kms left.
He was joined by the rest of the escapers and Paolo Tiralonga of. Astana, went for home and won in 5.50.31 with Krujswijk second, twenty one seconds down and Geschke third, twenty three seconds down.
Alberto Contador continues to lead the race.