As it happened: Cort triumphs from the breakaway on Giro d'Italia stage 10

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of stage 10 at the Giro d'Italia as racing gets back underway following the rest day.

It's been a chaotic few days at the Giro d'Italia and that doesn't look like stopping anytime soon...

Race leader Remco Evenepoel is out following a positive COVID-19 test on Sunday night. Rigoberto Urán is also out for the same reason.

Three more riders, including Domenico Pozzovivo and Sven Erik Bystrøm (who was set to continue following his positive) test are out after COVID-19 positives this morning.

Stage 13 to the summit finish at Crans-Montana is set to be shortened with the Cima Coppi climb of the Grand St Bernard Pass cut due to snowfall and risk of avalanches.

Meanwhile, today's 196km stage could yet be abridged due to adverse weather conditions. Race organisers, commissaires and the CPA rider union are currently discussing options ahead of the start.

Giro d'Italia: More COVID-19 positives as Pozzovivo, Bystrøm, Scotson withdraw

Norwegian had been set to race on after positive test last week

Pozzovivo, Bystrøm and Scotson join Rein Taaramäe and Mads Würtz Schmidt (both non-COVID illnesses) in leaving the race ahead of today's stage.

Evenepoel, Urán, and Küng left on Sunday and Monday.

156 riders remain.

The poor weather at the top of the day's main climb, the Passo delle Radici, could see today's stage shortened. It's reportedly -2°C with high winds at the top of the second-category climb.

Here's what today's stage looks like in full...

And a map of the day as they head from Scandiano, over the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, to Viareggio. The Apennines are unavoidable, so a potential re-route would see riders cut the route via team buses.

It's cool and rainy at the start in Scandiano, meanwhile.

The stage is getting underway right now. No confirmation on any cuts to the stage yet...

It's a 6.5km neutral zone for the peloton.

Reports that team buses have been instructed to follow the peloton, rather than zoom away off the race route to the finish. The riders could yet climb onto the buses for the Passo delle Radici.

Following news of the various COVID-19 withdrawals in recent days, Thomas De Gendt is still ready with a joke...

Adam Hansen, who is now president of the CPA riders union has said that a majority of riders have chosen to do the final 70km of today's stage.

He noted the weather conditions, plus landslides, at the top of the climb.

Here's what Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) said at the start of today's stage...

"We had a meeting all together as the riders, then RCS, the Giro organisers arrived. There were a lot of discussions, some of it in Italian. I needed to leave for the bus to get ready for sign-on, so I'm not sure what was decided.

"We always wanted to race, it wasn't whether we raced or didn't race. It was just that we wanted to change the course a little bit and do the final part of the course after the long downhill. We arrive at 1,500 metres today. Right now it's raining and not too bad but I think at 1,500 metres it can not be super nice for us."

Primož Roglič suffered a mechanical in the neutral zone. He makes his way back to the peloton.

News of another DNS today – Oscar Riesebeek (Alpecin-Deceuninck) leaving makes it 155 riders left in the race.

It seems like the situation could be as follows: team buses following the race as a precaution, ready to take riders if the conditions worsen.

196km to go

The flag is waved and racing begins...

New race leader Geraint Thomas at the start...

"Luckily it's stopped raining for now, so I might be able to show it off a bit. I'll just try to keep warm because it's going to be a hard day.

"It's a completely different race for us now this week and so a different approach. It's always a boost in the team to get a jersey and it's a massive honour for myself, it's the first time I have the pink jersey. I'm looking forward to it."

Attacks flying from the start.

Blue jersey Davide Bais (Eolo-Kometa) is involved.

Alessandro De Marchi (Jayco-AlUla) and Mattia Cattaneo (Soudal-QuickStep) also on the move.

Oscar Riesebeek is "struggling with fever, coughing and diarrhea, among other issues" according to his team. No COVID-19 positive.

No confirmation from Giro d'Italia organisers on exactly what is going on with today's stage. Obviously...

Cattaneo and De Marchi out front with another QuickStep man in Louis Vervaeke plus Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Trek-Segafredo) and Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech).

188km to go

More riders try to jump from the peloton.

Cattaneo, De Marchi, Gee, Vervaeke, Ghebreigzabhier still pushing on out front as more attempt to attack from the peloton.

No time gap as of yet.

Francesco Gavazzi (Eolo-Kometa) among the riders attacking behind.

Better conditions at the finish in Viareggio than there are out on the road...

182km to go

Only 14 seconds for the lead group.

Aleksandr Vlasov is back at the Bora-Hansgrohe team car. He's been lingering towards the rear of the peloton early on the stage.

New reports that team buses have been instructed to join the regular 'off-course' route to the finish, so it looks like the stage will be raced as normal...

Hilly ground early on and De Marchi pushes on at the front of the attacking group. Gee goes with him as the rest drop back.

24 seconds for De Marchi and Gee as the rest of the break is caught by a group of attackers.

178km to go

Only Gee and De Marchi clear at the moment, now 33 seconds up. More attacks from the peloton.

Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) was dropped earlier, reports Jens Voigt on the Eurosport motorbike. Around 20 riders dropped in total.

No word on Vlasov since he visited the team car. He seems to be OK.

The early break before the QuickStep pair dropped away. The two at the rear – De Marchi and Gee – remain out front.

174km to go

Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost) is trying to bridge across solo.

More riders on the attack from the peloton.

Larry Warbasse (AG2R Citroën) leading a move.

And Tao Geoghegan Hart has moved up to mark it!

Blue jersey Davide Bais on the move again now.

New reports suggesting that Aleksandr Vlasov is sick and out the rear of the peloton all on his own.

2:40 for Gee and De Marchi now. Nobody managed to get across to the two leaders.

165km to go

Cort and Bais are still battling to make it across.

Movistar head up the peloton currently.

3:20 for the two leaders now. 

The first intermediate sprint of the day at Villa Minozzo comes up in just over 10km.

Cort and Bais are still somewhere out there between break and peloton.

Vlasov is still trailing the peloton.

Movistar alone in full control of the peloton at the moment.

151km to go

Four minutes for the two breakaway riders now.

Bais is reportedly together with Cort in the chase and they're half a minute off the break.

Bais and Cort together.

João Almeida said that "most of the peloton" is sick at the moment...

"Not stress but I think most of the bunch is pretty sick. Me too. It's not great with the conditions but we have to deal with it and try to improve."

148km to go

Bais and Cort make it across to Gee and De Marchi! That was a long chase...

500 metres to the intermediate sprint.

An announcement from the Giro d'Italia race organisation...

"Given the exceptional snowfall, and in the light of the avalanche danger, it is announced that the race will not pass over the Great St. Bernard Pass, but through the tunnel. The Cima Coppi will be moved to the finish at the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. The Gran San Bernardo remains a 1st category climb, and points will be awarded accordingly.

"As a result of this change, the stage will have a length of 199 km."

Jayco-AlUla try to put the pressure on maglia ciclamino Jonathan Milan at the sprint but the Italian puts in a great effort to come through first from the peloton for fifth at the line. He grabs four points there.

Our full, updated story on the alteration to stage 13...

Giro d'Italia: Grand St Bernard Pass removed from stage 13 due to snow

Milan punctured a few kilometres before the intermediate sprint, which makes his effort there even more impressive.

The fight for the intermediate sprint not long ago...

139km to go

The riders continue to head uphill on the long slog towards the Passo delle Radici.

Four minutes between the four breakaways and the peloton.

It's still Movistar leading the way in the peloton.

Bauke Mollema is at the rear of the peloton after suffering off the back earlier on. No word on Vlasov.

The rain is still pouring on the riders as they fight on towards the major climb of the day.

Intermarché-Circus-Wanty have reportedly lost Simone Petilli today after Sven Erik Bystrøm and Rein Taaramäe were unable to start.

Reports earlier in the stage suggested much of the team were struggling.

Still some 45km to go until the riders reach the summit of the Passo delle Radici.

18, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 points up there. Davide Bais will be keen to grab all 18 and add to his 86 KOM points. He leads Thibaut Pinot by 36 points in the classification.

Read our comprehensive guide to the Giro d'italia jerseys, prizes, and classifications here.

The visibility is very poor in the peloton due to the pouring rain. Movistar continue to lead.

A look at the peloton battling through the terrible conditions today.

RAI has reported that Vlasov has abandoned the Giro d'Italia.

126km to go

That has now been confirmed by his Bora-Hansgrohe team. He was sixth overall.

The team will now look to Lennard Kämna for their GC hopes. The German is eighth (now seventh) overall.

152 riders left in the race now.

4:35 for the breakaway quartet now.

Vlasov is the second Bora-Hansgrohe rider to leave the race.

Intermarché-Circus-Wanty and Alpecin-Deceuninck have both lost the most riders at three each.

So that's Vlasov and Petilli DNF today.

Evenepoel, Pozzovivo, Urán, Küng, Bystrøm, Würtz Schmidt, Taaramäe, Scotson, Riesebeek DNS.

Sick Aleksandr Vlasov abandons Giro d'Italia on stage 10

Russian GC contender was dropped early on long stage to Viareggio

116km to go

4:45 for the breakaway now. The conditions just look worse and worse out on the road.

Former race leader Andreas Leknessund (Team DSM) among those suffering in the peloton.

Lots of riders in the peloton dropping back to team cars and even stopping by the side of the road to change clothing and add layers.

The break are in the final 10km of the Passo delle Radici now. 18 points up for grabs at the top.

Then a long, freezing cold descent follows for around 25km...

It's quite a technical descent, too.

Race leader Geraint Thomas stops for a bike change. Fernando Gaviria stops to get help with putting on a new jacket.

110km to go

Kaden Groves out the back of the peloton.

UAE, Jumbo, Ineos move to the front of the peloton as the top of the climb nears.

Now Mads Pedersen is fighting at the back, too.

Gaviria is at the team car and gets another jacket.

Former maglia rosa Andreas Leknessund is set to join Uno-X next year, according to Norwegian broadcaster TV2. Rumours about his future at DSM date back to the end of his neo-pro season in 2021. He started his career in the Uno-X setup at their development squad.

108km to go

Meanwhile, Bais duly takes the 18 points over the top of the climb.

Unless Thibaut Pinot fancies nipping out of the peloton to pick up a handful of points, the gap between the two now extends to 54 points.

Back in the peloton there's a hard pace at the front and riders continue to drop away.

The gap down to 3:50 as the peloton pass over the top. Ineos pushes the pace in the final run to the summit.

Gaviria is still at the team car. His directeur sportif is putting gloves on the Colombian's hands.

Screeching disc brakes now as the riders tackle the wet descent.

Confirmed – no points for Pinot on the climb.

It's still early days, but Bais on 104 points means he's in a great position for the classification if he keep making the breakaways in the final week.

In recent seasons, no runner-up in the classification has more than Giulio Ciccone's 163 points last year.

Though by my calculation, there's a maximum of 737 points left to race for at this Giro, so pretty much anyone can win it.

100km to go

3:40 for the breakaway now after the upping of the pace from the peloton.

Ineos Grenadiers continue to lead the peloton on the way down.

Lots of riders waving their hands and swinging their arms around to try and get some bloodflow going and ward off the cold.

Bais is off the back of the breakaway on the way down.

The move doesn't have much chance of staying away to the line and he has 18 points from a maximum of 21 on the stage, so not a massive problem for the Italian.

94km to go

Gaviria at the side of the road. It looks like he's hit the deck. He'll take a new bike and get going again.

Bahrain Victorious have gone off the front of the peloton. Damiano Caruso and Jonathan Milan are up there along with teammate Andrea Pasqualon.

Ineos rider Pavel Sivakov is also in the group.

88km to go

The Caruso-Milan-Pasqualon-Sivakov group is reportedly a minute up on the peloton already.

3:20 from the break to that group. The peloton is at 4:35 down.

That 'minute' gap between the Bahrain move and the peloton is more like 20 seconds by manual timing from the TV helicopter shots.

Timekeeping!

Coming towards the end of the descent now. 6.5km to go until the top of the next climb, the fourth-category hill at Monteperpoli.

An Intermarché-Circus-Wanty rider attacks across to the Bahrain-Sivakov move.

Another crash on the descent involving Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) and Will Barta (Movistar).

Barta's bike has a completely snapped fork. It looks like they just ran into the side of a house.

Vine is back up and running while Barta was stood up by the side of the road, so he should be OK.

The weather is better at the bottom of the descent. It's wet but the rain isn't torrential.

The Bahrain-Sivakov move has split up. Milan went down not long ago before getting back on. Sivakov has dropped back.

Meanwhile, Martijn Tusveld (Team DSM) has abandoned the race. His team say he was suffering from injuries sustained in a crash on stage 2.

151 riders left in the race.

Lorenzo Rota is the Intermarché rider with Caruso, Milan and Pasqualon.

76km to go

Ineos Grenadiers lead the peloton ahead of Jumbo-Visma.

Pasqualon continues driving the attack for Caruso.

Gee, Cort and De Marchi battle on up the fourth-cat climb. 

2:20 between the break and the Caruso group at the moment. Another 25 seconds or so back to the peloton.

Gee leads Cort and De Marchi over the of the hill and down the other side. It's pretty much all flat roads to Viareggio from here.

Crash in the peloton on the short descent. Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Trek-Segafredo) among a few riders involved but he's quickly back up and running.

Fernando Gaviria is well off the back of the peloton after his crash. He and a few Movistar teammates aren't mounting a furious chase, so it looks like his day is done.

68km to go

Caruso, Milan, Pasqualon and Rota are caught. 

The peloton is only around 30 riders strong after that descent. More groups are coming back, though.

Sprinters including Mads Pedersen, Mark Cavendish, Pascal Ackermann are chasing back on, according to Eurosport on-bike reporter Jens Voigt. Fernando Gaviria is well off the back.

Soudal-QuickStep take to the front of the peloton.

Davide Ballerini must be in there. You'd imagine Kaden Groves is there or thereabouts, too.

Various groups fighting their way back through the cars.

59km to go

Still 2:20 for the breakaway.

QuickStep with Louis Vervaeke on the front of the peloton followed by Bahrain and Ineos behind.

No rain and dry roads now on the run to the finish.

Erik Fetter (Eolo-Kometa) has abandoned the race. 150 riders left.

Crash in the peloton! Michel Ries (Arkéa-Samsic) and a rider from Jayco-AlUla are on the ground.

Someone from the race organisation picks up the Jayco bike and props it up at the side of the road, then walks out back into the road without looking as Alberto Bettiol comes speeding through.

Bettiol hits him and goes down! He's back on his feet quickly and understandably angry... 

The Jayco rider is Lukas Pöstlberger.

52km to go

Bettiol, Pöstlberger and Ries are back up and running.

And now helicopter shots show that Warren Barguil has also gone down. He's being tended to by medics on the side of the road.

It looks like Barguil crashed just ahead of the where the other three went down, possibly going down trying to stop in among the ambulance and various team and organisation cars.

The stretcher was brought out for Barguil but he's back up and on the bike now.

The Frenchman is nursing his left arm, not putting it on the bars. That could be a collarbone.

2:15 for the break after all that.

A look at Bettiol's crash with the race official...

42km to go

Astana also with a rider at the front of the peloton now as the break races to the second intermediate sprint.

Cort led De Marchi and Gee through the sprint.

Plenty of sprinters getting back in the peloton but Jay Vine is reportedly two minutes down. Ouch.

37km to go

UAE leading a large group at two minutes down on the peloton.

And no the rain is falling hard again.

Vine was in virtual ninth at 2:24 down on Thomas at one point today.

Kaden Groves is also in the Jay Vine group.

Mads Pedersen, Mark Cavendish, Jonathan Milan, Pascal Ackermann, Davide Ballerini are all in the main peloton. Michael Matthews should be in there, too.

32km to go

Under two minutes for the leading trio as more time comes off the lead.

The gap is coming down steadily now. 1:45 and counting.

Over in France, the opening stage of the 4 Jours of Dunkerque has finished.

Find out what happened in our race report.

Jay Vine's group is over five minutes down on the break now. It's over for the Australian and it's just a case of damage limitation now.

27km to go

Astana and Trek with a man each at the head of the peloton and Ineos behind.

A look at the peloton with Geraint Thomas safe in pink.

Under 1:30 for the breakaway.

Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier is the only Trek man in the peloton for Pedersen and he's on the front behind Astana's Gianni Moscon.

23km to go

1:25 now.

The gap to the Vine group is now over five minutes from the peloton.

20km to go

1:10 for the breakaway trio. A sprint looks inevitable now.

A look at the final kilometres – dead straight, pan flat, but with plenty of damp white road markings that could cause trouble in the dash for the line.

Astana, Trek, Bahrain, QuickStep all with men on the front of the peloton.

17km to go

Now a minute for De Marchi, Cort, and Gee.

A descent for the riders after a small rise in the road. This is the only real difficulty ahead of the run-in to the line.

It looks like a hopeless effort for the break as they keep shedding seconds.

A crash on the descent for Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious).

Thomas Gloag (Jumbo-Visma) also caught up but manages to stay on his feet even as his bike hit the ground.

13km to go

45 seconds for the breakaway.

Gloag and Zambanini should be OK, by the way. Not a massive crash.

It's still Trek, Bahrain, Astana, QuickStep up front.

Cavendish has two Astana teammates working for him. The other teams have one rider there.

Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) was off the back on the descent but he's getting back on now.

10km to go

45 seconds still... Vine's group eight minutes down.

A look at the break, with Gee leading Cort and De Marchi.

RAI reports that Barguil's crash was caused by the Astana team car. Not much more information than that at the moment.

8km to go

It's still around 43-45 seconds for the breakaway!

The breakaway trio are putting up a great fight here.

7km to go

The peloton isn't making any ground here...

The gap remains the same.

It's still that handful of sprint teams working on the front. In this reduced peloton the GC teams aren't up there battling for space to keep their leaders safe.

Moscon drops off the peloton after his stint of work on the front.

5km to go

41 seconds now.

De Marchi, Cort, and Gee still working well together here. 

Cort is one of the men who came into the Giro with a Tour and Vuelta stage win on his palmarès. Can he follow Mads Pedersen and complete the Grand Tour stage win triple today?

4km to go

Still 40 seconds. Cort would be the favourite from the lead trio given his strong sprint.

Ghebreigzabhier still working at the front and now Ineos take it up as the Eritrean finishes his job.

The sprint squads have pretty much run out of riders here.

3km to go

40 seconds still!

Ineos and Jumbo at the head of the peloton.

Now Astana stick another man on the front. Milan second wheel but he won't work.

2km to go

Onto the seafront at Viareggio. Wet roads here. It was dry earlier.

Pasqualon now on the front for Milan. The gap is out to 45 seconds.

1.5km to go

Gee attacks from the break!

Cort sits in De Marchi in the chase.

The breakaway has this in the bag now.

Cort makes it across to Gee! De Marchi battling to get there.

1km to go

Cort sits on Gee's wheel.

De Marchi can't get across.

De Marchi makes it back!

He launches the sprint long!

Gee in his wheel, Cort at the back.

Cort comes through at 150 metres to go!

Finish

Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost) wins stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia!

Gee second, De Marchi third.

Milan and Pedersen lead the way in the peloton.

Milan launches it from a long way out.

Pedersen gets past before the finish to take fourth. Ackermann fifth ahead of Oldani and then Milan.

Cort celebrates his stage win. Six at the Vuelta, two at the Tour, now one at the Giro.

Back in the peloton, Pedersen grabbed eight points on maglia ciclamino wearer Milan. Earlier in the day, Milan picked up four points at the first intermediate sprint to Pedersen's two. A six-point gain for the Dane, then.

Another case of so close and yet so far for De Marchi today after missing out in Naples...

"It starts to become a little frustrating. Tomorrow morning I'll be ready to go again.

"You have to try. This is history – people might think it's pathetic. It'd be nice for it to work one day.

"I was proud of saying I was going to be there and I almost was – in cycling that's quite big."

Jay Vine's group are still rolling towards the finish. He's well out of the GC picture now.

They cross the line just over 11 minutes down on Cort and over 10 down on the peloton.

Giro d'Italia: Magnus Cort scores Grand Tour stage win triple in Viareggio

Thomas spends first day in maglia rosa after Evenepoel's COVID-19 departure, Vine drops out of contention

Gee talks about scoring his second runner-up spot of his debut Grand Tour...

"This one hurt a little more. Just because you can see the win right there. We both knew that he's too fast. It was touch and go for a bit there – for 35km – if we'd even stay out. I tried something in the last 2km. 

"I'm pretty surprised [we stayed away]. I thought for a lot of kilometres it was done, especially when it was only four of us at the start. I thought we had no shot, but I guess the descent was so technical that it caused chaos back there. I can't believe we made it again."

A pair of Danish Grand Tour stage win triple-rs.  Mads Pedersen congratulates Magnus Cort after the finish.

A look back at the finish of stage 10...

Magnus Cort spoke after the stage about winning the stage and completing the triple.

"I'm incredibly happy and I'm sure [Mads Pedersen] is. It's a lot more important to do it than who is first. It was amazing to do it – today was such a hard day – one of the hardest stages I've done on a bike. To end up with a win is unbelievable.

"At times I was sitting out there in the cold I was so confused I didn't know what was going on. My radio wasn't working, I think it got some water, so I didn't have much information.

"We were pushing all day. First it was a big fight to get in the breakaway, then we wanted to push to the summit of today's stage already really early at kilometre 90 to break the peloton and make the sprinters stop chasing. We got a bit of a time gap but not enough and so they kept chasing. 

"We didn't have much choice than to keep pushing. I don't remember doing a stage pushing all day like this – sometimes maybe in crosswins but then you're in a bigger group in echelons. But sitting three or four guys and going with what you have for four or five hours, it's a very hard day."

Geraint Thomas made it through his first day in pink safely. He's two seconds up on Primož Roglič and five on teammate Tao Geoghegan Hart.

"It was nice. It was obviously not ideal conditions to be wearing the jersey for the first time.

"It was a solid day – attacking at the start for the breakaway, pretty cold at the top and then pretty cold at the top, bit of a crazy descent, then the guys trying to bring back the break for the final.

"A lot going on, a solid day, but happy to get through.I'm not taking anything for granted in this race, a lot can happen, especially with the weather. We'll see – take it day by day. Every day I'm in [the maglia rosa] will be very nice."

An extended lead at the top of the mountain classification for Davide Bais after his time in the breakaway today. He added 18 points to his total to lead with 104 points to Thibaut Pinot's 50.

Jonathan Milan went from 113 to 127 points at the top of the points classification today. Mads Pedersen is now his closest rival, picking up 20 points to close from 24 points down to 18 down.

Finally, João Almeida takes up the youth classification lead following Remco Evenepoel's withdrawal. He leads Andreas Leknessund by 13 seconds.

That's all from us on live duty today. We'll have news and reaction coming in from Viareggio through the evening so watch out for that.

More live coverage all day tomorrow on stage 11!