Despite the length of Friday’s stage Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) was able to spend a relatively happy day in the saddle as his team allowed the sprinters to marshal the break. The Sicilian finished safely in the peloton, with the top of the general classification remaining unchanged at the end of the stage before the Giro enters the high mountains tomorrow.

After the stage Nibali was asked if he thought the Giro would be easier with the absence of Bradley Wiggins (Sky), who was forced to abandon the race prior to today’s stage on medical grounds. “The Giro is never easy. In Wiggins’ absence, those of us who are here will dispute the Maglia Rosa. There’s no Hesjedal, either, so from Sky it’s a question of Urán, and then there are Evans and Scarponi. The GC hasn’t been decided yet. Evans is close, so I think I have to do something good. I’m in good shape, so I’ll have to try something in the coming mountain stages.”

So far, Nibali has not won a stage in this year’s Giro. “Winning a stage at the Giro is never easy. I’ll try, but it’s one thing to talk about it, it’s something else to do it. It’s hard to foresee who’ll attack and where in the mountains. The next days promise nothing good in terms of weather. I just hope it isn’t too cold, for the benefit of the entire peloton.”