It is not yet clear how many days remain in this 2020 season, but Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) was not taking any chances. Whether the finish of this Giro d'Italia was in Milan or somewhere closer, his chances of ending his long winless streak were dwindling.

Stage 10, from Lanciano to Tortoreto Lido, was a "Sagan country" of short, steep hills familiar from Tirreno-Adriatico, a course that would see off the pure sprinters. It was a series of short, steep hills familiar from Tirreno - Adriatico.

It was 461 days after his last victory (a stage of the 2019 Tour de France) that Sagan finally raised his arms in victory on the seaside of Tortoleto on Tuesday after a tumultuous day. After gaining a position in the early breakaway, Sagan was able to shake off his companions on a series of steep hills in the closing stages, and then swept past an elite group of riders, Maria Rosa, in the breakaway.

Although Sagan has 113 other victories to his credit, this victory was one of the most memorable of his career, both for its context and execution. Sagan dropped Ben Swift (Ineos Grenadiers) in the final muro with impressive acceleration and kept the big ring spinning along the Adriatic coast, never trailing.

"It's nice to win like that on a stage like that," Sagan said. "It's a special win because it's been a long time since I've had a win like that, a lot of second and third places, so it's a very special win. I also have to thank the Tifosi. It was like being at home with everyone cheering me on."

Since the Giro d'Italia began in Sicily, he has hat-trick of second places in various final races, including Agrigento, Vilafranca Tirrena, and Brindisi. On Tuesday, rather than wait for the finale, Sagan opted to try his luck at the break, even if the Grupama-FDJ team with Arno Demare was reluctant to put him in the break.

"A stage win is only worth 25 points. I'm not sure how much I can take from that," Sagan said. "It was difficult going into the break today. Everyone was chasing me at full throttle."

The day's racing reflected the events of earlier in the day in a frenetic afternoon. Mitchelton Scott withdrew from the Giro after four of his staff members tested positive for COVID-19 coronavirus during rest day testing. Michael Matthews (Sunweb) also left the race after testing positive for coronavirus, casting doubt on the permeability of the Giro's "bubble" and the endurance of the Giro itself.

"What's going on with the situation," Sagan said. 'We were lucky to get the season back on track with a race. Some races were cancelled, like Holland, but what can I say?

"I think the organizers are doing everything they can to protect us. I don't want to think about it too much. It's something we can't change. We just keep wearing masks and washing our hands."

[20] "Someday this difficult moment will pass for everyone. You journalists, the restaurants that are closing, the entire population. There are so many problems in the world. We are the last people who can complain because we can still race."