With three Liquigas-Cannondale riders setting the pace for their team captain Ivan Basso, numerous riders were being dislodged from the back of the group; as such, only six riders remained with the group halfway up the climb, with Basso being joined by overall leader Joaquim Rodríguez (Team Katusha), Garmin-Barracuda's Ryder Hesjedal, Lampre-ISD rider Michele Scarponi, as well as Rigoberto Urán of Team Sky - after team-mate Sergio Henao had been dropped - and Colnago-CSF Bardiani rider Domenico Pozzovivo. Scarponi and Urán were both dropped in the closing stages of the Passo Giau, but they both made it back into the lead group on the descent into Cortina d'Ampezzo; the sextet battled it out for the stage honours in a sprint finish, where Rodríguez came from last position in the line to out-sprint his rivals for his second stage win of the race. His overall lead remained at 30 seconds however, as there was no bonus seconds on offer at the finish; but he also stated that Hesjedal was the favourite, due to his superior abilities in the time trial. Rodríguez also dedicated his stage victory to Xavier Tondo, on the first anniversary of his death while preparing for a training session. The only jersey to change hands at the end of the stage was Urán, moving into fifth place overall, taking the young rider classification lead from team-mate Henao.