Stage 11

The road

At the start

Matthews goes home, 250km to Savona

Michael Matthews does not start, his Giro over five days after the pink jersey left his shoulders, and Orica-GreenEdge are being picked apart. Cadel Evans still leads Rigoberto Urán by 57 seconds and nothing between the favourites has moved in three days. Today is 250 kilometres to Savona over the Passo Cento Croci and a late sting at the Naso di Gatto: too hard for the sprinters, too soft for the climbers.

How it was won

1. 127 km to go

   Rogers reads the hesitation

   On the last little climb before Savona the GC men start looking at one another instead of racing. Michael Rogers doesn't look at anyone: he simply goes.

2. 216 km to go

   Forty seconds on the descent

   The Australian throws himself down the technical drop to the coast and has forty seconds before anyone reacts. Giant-Shimano and Trek chase; BMC come to the front only to keep things steady, and that is all Rogers needs.

3. 3At the line

   Alone into Savona

   Rogers holds ten seconds to the line, Geschke leading the bunch in behind. Evans keeps pink, and perhaps buys himself an ally in Tinkoff-Saxo for the mountains to come.

The result