Italy's Marco Canola prevailed in a sprint finish to the Giro d'Italia 13th stage on Friday, with Colombian Rigoberto Uran retaining the overall leader's pink jersey.
Australia's Cadel Evans remained second overall, 37 seconds down.
"The start of the stage was easy, but the finish intense, because you had to pay attention due to the weather and the final circuit."
Canola, with the Bardiani team, celebrated his biggest success by fending off Venezuela's Jackson Rodriguez and French rider Angelo Tulik in a dash to the line at the end of the 157km ride from Fossano to Rivarolo.
"I hope this is the first of many," said the rider from Venice.
Canola, Rodriguez and Tulik, part of an early six-man breakaway, finished with an 11-second gap back to the peloton headed by Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni, holder of the red points jersey, with Uran and Evans safely in their midst.
The peloton had to battle a hail storm, making life difficult for the riders.
"There is never an easy day in the Giro, it was still a dangerous stage. The only easy days are the rest days," Uran said.
"We didn't want to take any risks today so we rode at the front all day, but we were not riding to control the breakaway."
With 10km to go the three who fought out the finish had a near one and a half minute cushion on the chasing pack, with Canola best negotiating the final bend to emerge triumphant for the biggest win of his career.
The 25-year-old turned professional in 2012 and is competing in his second Giro.
On Saturday the Giro enters the mountains, ending up in Oropa where the late Italian climber Marco Pantani, who died in 2004, produced a memorable performance after being held up with a chain problem on his way to victory in the 1999 edition.
The 164km run begins in Aglie with the notorious 11.8km climb to the finish in Oropa.
"We are entering a new Giro, with the mountains and the tiredness which comes with them," reflected Evans.
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