This is the second Slovenian win at a Giro d'Italia stage race. The 23-year-old member of the Lampre-Merida team showed some excellent cycling during the 17km-long summit finish at Abetone (Category 2), especially on the steepest sections.

Sylvain Chavanel tried to follow but finished 1 minute and 31 seconds behind Polanc. 4,5 km before the finish line Alberto Contador started to accelerate. Richie Porte and Fabio Aru closely followed. In the end the Spaniard managed to put on the pink jersey. Contador now has a 2 second advantage over Aru, while Porte is third overall trailing by 20 seconds.