Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox rider Battaglin beat fellow Italians Fabio Felline and Giovanni Visconti in a bunch sprint on rainy, cobbled streets to claim his first Grand Tour stage victory.

Britain's Sir Bradley Wiggins, the favourite to add this title to the Tour de France he won last year, lost 17 seconds after being caught behind a crash near the finish in the slippery conditions and slipped to sixth overall, 34 seconds behind Paolini.

Main rival, Italian, Vincenzo Nibali moved up to fourth, 31 seconds off the pink jersey.

"It was so nice to go to the start wearing the pink jersey," said Paolini, who rides for Katusha..

"This jersey shows that the team was great today, too.

"Bit by bit, I'm beginning to think I can do something in the standings.

"Who knows?"

Canada's defending champion Ryder Hesjedal moved into fifth overall after finishing eighth.


The 23-year-old Battaglin won in a time of six hours 14min 19secs along the hilly 246 kilometre route from Policastro Bussentino to Serra San Bruno.

"I was good today, even if the rain at the end affected me a bit," he said.

"I managed to take a couple of curves well, have a good finish and win.

"The cobbles certainly didn't help as my bike kept jumping, but I saw there weren't any wheels behind me and I realised I could do it."

Tomorrow's fifth stage is a mainly flat, 199km leg from Cosenza to Matera.

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