It's almost inconceivable that the 34 year old had yet to taste Grand Tour success before. A string of podiums, and twice a finisher inside the top-10 on GC at both the Giro and Tour de France, Rogers abilities have often been devoted to the service of others, at T-Mobile, Highroad, Team Sky, and indeed, even now at Tinkoff-Saxo.
But with Rogers's team-mate Rafal Majka, third overall, tucked safely in the peloton, and only open road in front of him, the Australian sensed a rare opportunity to go hell for leather for his own personal glory.
"It was a spur of the moment. I saw that the other leaders were looking at each other. I saw my opportunity and I took it," said Rogers. "It was one of the hardest rides of my life, for sure.
"At the top of the climb, I realised that most guys in the group were GC contenders and this was the time to jump. So I went. From then on, it was all about keeping my head down, pedalling away and I guess I was a little lucky that the GC guys were probably looking at each other, hesitating a bit."
The Australian, known for his cool head under pressure, and as one of the sharpest tactical minds in the peloton made the decision to go as Julian Arredondo (Trek) was caught over the top of the Naso di Gatto, with 18km to race.
A lull in the pace, and a field that appeared more comfortable in regrouping than pressing on, played into Rogers's hand.
The gap with 10km of racing to go was blown out to 40 seconds as Rogers pushed hard on the writhing descent off the Gatto, but as the terrain finally levelled and the coast approached, the gap diminished. It was 20 seconds inside five to go, and was in the teens with as the red kite approached.
But fortune favoured the brave, at least today. Rogers entered the final 600m straight to the finish with time to look back and enjoy the win, ahead of Simon Geschke of Giant-Shimano and Enrico Battaglin (Bardiani-CSF).
And could it have been more fitting? Rogers, a respected time triallist; winning solo. A highly regarded tactician; crafting a move out of nothing to escape and ride to the finish alone.
After more than a decade of racing at the pointy end of the sport, and the tumult of the last six months, a brilliant and deserved Grand Tour victory as classic as any.
"It was certainly a beautiful moment," said Rogers. "The team tried really hard today... we had Nicolas Roche and Ivan (Rovny) out front. Unfortunately the break came back but it gave me a chance and I made the most of it."
Rogers would never have been given the chance to ride for the win had Gianni Savio's Androni not committed deeply to the chase to bring back a rather bloated break including heavy hitters Nicolas Roche (Tinkoff-Saxo), Dani Moreno (Katusha) and Moreno Moser (Cannondale) with some 80km to go.
The break had been odds on to stay clear early in the stage with the unwieldy terrain, and the incredibly long distance of the stage; 249km.
Still, Androni's toil and the break's lack of proper co-operation saw the race back together at the base of the Gatto. Arredondo attack on the early slopes to extend his lead in the mountains classification but there was general malaise from the rest of the field, the GC riders careful to keep their legs fresh for the upcoming Barolo time trial.
Meanwhile, the Maglia Rosa remains firmly on Cadel Evans's shoulders, with no changes to top-five on GC. The big loser for the day was dual Giro stage winner Diego Ulissi, who crashed badly early in the stage and limped home, slipping out of the top-10.
Stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia is a 41.9km time trial from Barbaresco to Barolo. It's the first of two individual time trials in the Giro d'Italia, the second, coming on Stage 19 on the Cima Grappa.
Evans says he's confident in his chances, telling reporters after the stage that he feels "it looks like a good time trial for me."
"The time trial is always the race of truth," he added. "We have had a difficult first week and this week – though we have had a recovery day and a short stage. Now we have also had a very long and intense stage.
"I think that will probably have a little bit of an effect on the performances. For me, it is one of the key stages and on paper, it looks like it suits me. I go into it feeling pretty well, feeling okay, but we'll see."
Stage 11: 249km, Collecchio-Savona
1 Michael Rogers (AUS) Tinkoff-Saxo 5hr 48min 07sec
2 Simon Geschke (GER) Giant-Shimano 00:00:10
3 Enrico Battaglin (ITA) Bardiani-CSF
4 Wilco Kelderman (NED) Belkin
5 Gianluca Brambilla (ITA) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
6 Moreno Moser (ITA) Cannondale
7 Ryder Hesjedal (CAN) Garmin-Sharp
8 Matteo Rabottini (ITA) Neri Sottoli-Yellow Fluo
9 Fabio Duarte (COL) Colombia
10 Alexis Vuillermoz (FRA) AG2R La Mondiale
1 Cadel Evans (AUS) BMC 48hr 39min 04sec
2 Rigoberto Uran (COL) Omega Pharma-QuickStep 0:00:57
3 Rafal Majka (POL) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:01:10
4 Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:20
5 Steve Morabito (SUI) BMC 0:01:31
6 Fabio Aru (ITA) Astana 0:01:39
7 Wilco Kelderman (NED) Belkin 0:01:44
8 Nairo Quintana (COL) Movistar 0:01:45
9 Robert Kiserlovski (CRO) Trek Factory Racing 0:01:49
10 Ivan Basso (ITA) Cannondale 0:02:01
SBS broadcasts every stage of the 2014 Giro d'Italia LIVE! There will be nightly highlights at 5:30pm on SBS ONE, and each stage will also be streamed live here at Cycling Central.
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