Peter Sagan wins Giro stage 10 with absolutely outstanding ride | Video | Sticky Bottle

*Peter Sagan celebrates a stunning win on stage 10 of Giro d'Italia; a drama-filled day when Groupama FDJ hunted him down but couldn't catch him (Photo; Gian Mattia D'Alberto)*

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When the full story of Peter Sagan’s career is written after it draws to a close, today’s stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia will feature prominently.

The Slovak not only broke a 15-month win drought but also put in one of the best performances of his career with the manner of his victory today in his first ever Giro.

He was out on his own at the end of 177km from Lanciano
into a sodden Tortoreto having attacked the breakaway on the final climb
and made it all the way.

Everyone else in the escape, including three teams which each had two men up there – Ineos Grenadiers, Movistar and Cofidis - was caught and dropped by the favourites’ group.

*Groupama-FDJ rode for Arnaud Demare in a bid to bring Sagan back but weren't able to catch the breakaway (Photo: Fabio Ferrari)*

And while Groupama-FDJ chased the break hard for long periods and Sagan was almost caught several times, the master prevailed and took an absolutely stunning victory.

Groupama-FDJ was chasing in defence of Arnaud Demare's points classification lead.

Even Demare was driving hard on the front of the bunch at times when it looked like Sagan and the others in the breakaway would be caught, though the men up ahead refused to yield.

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However, after chasing for about 30km in a bid to catch the breakaway before the intermediate sprint, Groupama-FDJ called off its pursuit and Sagan won both the sprint and the stage, cutting to 20 points Demare’s lead in the points classification.

Sagan also held off a chase back in the bunch by UAE Team
Emirates and NTT Pro Cycling – as well as attacks up front from Ineos
Grenadiers Filippo Ganna and Ben
Swift as well as Movistar’s Dario Cataldo and Davide Villella.

He then proved strongest on the final climb – the sixth steep ascent of the finale – to win the stage in some style.

*João Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick Step) has ridden out of his skin so far in the race leader's jersey (Photo: Fabio Ferrari)*

In the race for the general classification, race leader João Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick Step) went on the attack on the final climb.

Though he was reeled in, he still took the sprint for 3rd from the favourites’ group and extended his lead a little due to the time bonuses.

Almeida led home the favourites’
group some 23 seconds behind Sagan, with Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates)
finishing in 2nd place, some 19 seconds behind Sagan.

The big story of the general classification was the time lost by Jakob Fuglsang (Astana), who punctured descending the final climb and never regained the favourites’ group, losing just over one minute to his rivals.