Endrio Leoni after the leading two-man breakaway just kilometers before the finish. controlled the pace-making for most of the third stage before general classification contender Claudio Chiappucci attacked. Chiappucci attacked near the end of the stage, but was caught by his rivals. 's Maximilian Sciandri edged out Massimiliano Lelli for the stage win as the race lead shifted from Marie to Miguel Induráin. Indurain increased his advantage over the rest of the competing riders by winning the stage 4 individual time trial by thirty-two seconds. The race's sixth stage was the first stage containing several climbs of great difficulty. As the stage progressed, the general classification contenders formed a group on the road. Chiappucci and Marco Giovannetti attacked a few times, with all of their attempts being marked by the other riders. The contenders all crossed the finish line together seconds after stage winner Franco Vona, with Frenchman Laurent Fignon being the only one to lose time. The following day, sprinter Guido Bontempi and Giuseppe Petito formed a breakaway group that survived to the stage's conclusion, with Bontempi taking the stage victory. Stages 8 and 9 both came down to field sprints won by Mario Cipollini and Bontempi, respectively. The event's tenth stage featured a summit finish to Monte Terminillo. The general classification contenders were all in a group together as they reached the final climb of the day. Piotr Ugrumov was the first of the group to attack and was joined by Roberto Conti shortly after. Behind, Indurain led a chase group that contained Andrew Hampsten, Chiappucci, Giovannetti, and Luis Herrera, while general classification hopefuls Chioccioli and Fignon dropped off the back since they could not keep pace. The group caught Conti, who was alone after Ugrumov slowed, and from there, Herrera attacked to win the stage. The next day's route was an undulating one. Chioccioli, Roberto Pagnin, and Marco Lietti formed a breakaway group and gained an advantage of three and a half minutes over the main field which was led by Indurain's team, Banesto. The group remained in front, Pagnin took the stage victory, and Indurain finished over two minutes later. With around nine kilometers remaining in the twelfth stage, there was an accident that saw Chiappicci and Giovannetti amongst others go down. The peloton continued on, gearing up for a sprint finish that Leoni won. The race entered the Dolomites in the thirteenth stage. Indurain was