Welcome to live coverage of stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia - a first day in the proper mountains. The 167km stage features two Cat.1 ascents and finishes atop the Altopiano del Montasio. With a rest day behind them, it's time for the big GC favourites to come out and play - or be found out.

Jonathan Vaughters has just tweeted his reactions to his man Ryder Hesjedal cracking on that last climb: "Am I bummed? Sure. But, as I've said before, these guys aren't machines. Sometimes the body is great, sometimes not. Perhaps why we always go a little over berserk when we win. We know how precious it is for things to all fall in place. Onward!"

We haven't really seen Wiggins and Nibali climb together this season. In the Giro del Trentino Wiggins suffered a mechanical and slipped way back before the deciding ascent of the queen stage, which Nibali duly won. But in last year's Tour, the Italian posed no threat for Wiggins - although the climbs were not as numerous, plus Wiggins did have Froome whereas Nibali has no one.

Astana try to put Sky under pressure on this downhill, but there are so many bends it's hard to get any significant speed on this early section.

Machado was 18 seconds down on Rodriguez over the sumit. Pauwels and Gatto were +1:12, Pavel Brutt at +1:50, Thomas Dekker and Elia Viviani were +2:10.

Sky led Astana take up the chase for the last section of the climb as they crest the summit. They pass over 3:33 down on the lone leader, who is edging his way down this narrow and winding descent through the trees.

Jackson Rodriguez (Androni) goes over the summit of the Passo Cason di Lanza in pole position to take 15 poins. Tiago Machado (RadioShack) crosses over for second. Serge Pauwels (OPQS) is third and Oscar Gatto fourth (Vini Fantini).

Nibali, Evans, Scarponi and Gesink are all here in this main group. Ag2R pair Pozzovivo and Betancur are there too. Intxausti, the former pink jersey, is hanging in at the back. Kangert is there for Nibali, as is one more Astana man - either Aru or Tiralongo. Scarponi has Niemiec. Majka of Saxo-Tinkoff is in the group. But Hesjedal and Sanchez have been dropped.

Sky are down to four on the front: Wiggins, Uran, Henao and one other, it looks like Suitsou. There's a world of pain etched on the faces on most of the riders' face.

We're back into a tree section of the climb, with the piles of snow still heaped up beside the road. Pellizotti is eating his way through the escapees, picking them off one by one. He'll soon be with lone leader Jackson Rodriguez, who leads the pack by 3:30.

Pellizotti has now dropped his team-mate Rosa and has passed another one of the initial escapees, Ligthart. Hesjedal is being paced by Tom Danielson. He is really struggling and will lose minutes today.

Pauwels (OPQS), Machado (RadioShack) and Gatto (Vini Fantini) are riding as a threesome in pursuit of lone leader Rodriguez, with the peloton now less than four minutes back following the almighty pace-setting of Sky.

Ryder Hesjedal is in trouble. The defending champion is being distanced by the Sky-led main pack. Disaster for the Canadian, who looked so strong entering the race but has faded fast in recent days. Pellizotti and Rosa have passed David Millar, the first of the initial escapees to be caught by the pack. He'll have to help Hesjedal now...

ATTACK: Italian national champion Franco Pellizotti attacks the peloton with his Androni team-mate Diego Rosa. No surprise to see Pellizotti here - his home town is Paularo and he'll be motivated to win today.

The bearded Xabier Zandio has been doing all the pace setting for Sky, whose riders all reach for an energy gel in unison ahead of the downhill section of this climb. Their efforts means the break have returned to within 4:40 of the peloton.

ATTACK: Jackson Rodriguez of Androni Giocattoli edges clear of the other escapees. The leading riders are now out of the wooded section and are onto some tight hairpin bends surrounded by green meadows.

Mechanical for Nibali! The race leader drops his chain and drops way back in the peloton as Sky continue to set a strogn pace. Not a good time to have a problem for the pink jersey...

Sky's pace has the peloton in all sorts of difficulties - it's thinning out quicker than Bill Nighy's hair. Back with the leaders, Viviani has fought back on as they reach the flat section ahead of the quick downhill drag.

A few riders are being shelled out of the leading group. Dehaes has gone and so has Bennati. And now Viviani. Back with the pack, Astana have completely vanished - Nibali now just has Tanel Kangert. And guess what? I's Sky who have come to the front and are throwing down the hammer.

Popovych sets the pace for the escapees while Astana have already strung out the peloton with a fast rhythm back with the pack.

Although already at 680m above sea level, the leading break is now onto the first major climb of the day, the Cat.1 Passo Cason di Lanza (12.3km long, 8.5% average, 16% max). It's a highly irregular climb on a very narrow road. There are some real steep segments but also a 2.5km downhill run half way through. The gap is 7:45 for the 13 leaders.

Those five points for the intermediate sprint put Viviani to within one point of Mark Cavendish in the red jersey competition. Cav trails Cadel Evans by just three points in the standings. The Italian will now aim to get over the summit of this climb in contention so that he can get more points in the next sprint ahead of the final climb. It's a big ask.