Stage 4: Amelia – Chieti

Time for the first small test of the GC-riders. One thing is certain though: Someone else will be wearing the leaders jersey tomorrow!

It doesn't look like another day for a breakaway as the five riders out there after 50 km just barely hold on to a minutes gap. Iglinsky, Stetina, Hoogerland, De la Fuente and Brambilla might as well just give it up it seems...
The five is joined by Capecchi, Mandri, Chalapud and Palumbo from the back and get a fresh breath of air.

When Brambilla wins the KOM they hold just over five minutes to the peloton.
Going into the last 100 km Tulip and Bulgari have started to reduce the gap now down to eight minutes after having been as much as 10 just 15 km ago.
When the break starts climbing Passo Lanciano the gap is down to just over five minutes.
Pozzovivo, Van den Broeck and Leipheimer open the attacking from the peloton.
The rest of the favourites seem content to let their domestiques show themselves for the time being.
With 5 km to the top Brambilla, Stetina, Hoogerland, De la Fuente and Capecchi has 2'30'' to Pozzovivo, Van den Broeck and Leipheimer, who has a minute to a 20-rider group with most of the main favourites.

Contador and Froome work nicely together and with 1 km to the top they have reduced the group to 15 riders and caught all escapees except four.
Hoogerland takes the mountain top, but Brambilla takes the lead in the KOM-classification.
Status with 30 km to go:
The four from the original break holds 1'27'' on 19 riders including most of the favourites.
Nibali is 1'24'' behind this group.

With 28 km to go Contador goes on the attack.
Scarponi joins him and with 17 km to go the duo has half a minute to the main group.

They fight the best they know and going under the 10 km mark Alberto has 18 seconds to Michele and 40 seconds to the main favourites group.

Froome keeps slowly reeling them in and they keep attacking.

That is until the 5 km mark where Froome attacks right after reeling in Contador and reducing the group to 8 riders. Scarponi is still out in front with a small gap.

2 km to the finish line and 800 m to the top of the last hill. 9 riders united in front.
Voeckler keeps attacking but can't get a gap.
Going into the last km it looks like Froome vs Contador.

On a finish like this the Spaniard is the fastest of the two and Froome quickly loses the small advantage he had to the others.

Joshua England did not finish the stage.