Cycling : Nibali keeps Maglia Rosa at Giro d’Italia.

Astana Pro Team rider Vincenzo Nibali finished third on Tuesday in the first real mountain test of the 2013 Giro d’Italia, adding bonus seconds to his overall lead in a relatively short but steep day into the Alps.

Nibali finished 31 seconds behind stage winner Rigoberto Uran of Colombia, but kept his lead in the General Classification and took a total of 13 bonus seconds on Tuesday, adding to his lead over second place rider Cadel Evans of Australia, who finished the stage in the same time.

“Evans is looking very strong, and his ability to hold pace and attack in the mountains will be serious in the next 10 days of racing. The Giro is hard every day, and now we have entered into a new week. It is possible to have a bad day even after a rest day, and I was lucky to be in good form on Montasio,” Nibali said.

Astana Pro Team riders Tanel Kangert and Valerio Agnoli stepped in to work in the early part of Tuesday’s 167km stage from Cordenons to Montasio, and kept a 12-man breakaway in check over the first climb of the day. Agnoli held pace on the final, steep ascent into a spectacular mountain landscape near the borders of Austria and Slovenia.

“Agnoli worked to keep the front group very small and manageable. In the final 4km when the pitch was 20 percent I arrived with a very good sensation in my legs thanks to the hard work of the team,” Nibali said.