Di Luca, Armstrong get back to racing at Giro

PINEROLO, Italy (AP) " There was no stopping Danilo Di Luca this time. And Lance Armstrong showed he can still race, too.

Di Luca attacked on a steep downhill stretch, then left behind his final challengers when the road tilted upward to win the grueling 10th stage of the Giro d'Italia on Tuesday and pad his overall lead.

Two days earlier, Di Luca and Armstrong brought the main pack to a halt mid-stage to protest a dangerous circuit in Milan, enraging race director Angelo Zomegnan.

"I think the smile is back on Angelo's face. He can stay calm now until Rome," Di Luca said, referring to the race's finish May 31.

Armstrong finished 13th, 29 seconds back, and moved up from 25th to 18th overall, although his gap behind Di Luca increased to 5 minutes, 28 seconds.

Armstrong won his first mountain stage in the Tour de France in Sestriere in 1999, setting up the first of his seven consecutive Tour victories. The Texan stayed with the lead group through Sestriere this time but dropped behind on the final climb, then clawed back to limit his damages.

"His form is improving," Di Luca said. "He set the pace for a good way up the first climb."

Zomegnan rejected talk of a rift with Armstrong.

"As far as I'm concerned, this story was already over on Sunday," Zomegnan said. "Some newspapers wrote about supposed angry phone calls from Armstrong and that wasn't the case."

Armstrong declined to speak with reporters for a fifth consecutive day.

As riders crossed the line, they learned of the death hours earlier of Fabio Saccani, a 69-year-old motorcycle driver in his 32nd Giro. He died in a crash heading toward the start of the stage.

"He was a friend of mine," Di Luca said. "Every year at the start of the Giro I take a photo with him. When I heard what happened I lost all my joy. And I know he was very friendly with Armstrong also because they were both cancer survivors."

A minute of silence will be observed for Saccani before the start of Wednesday's stage, a 133-mile relatively flat leg from Turin to Arenzano.

Di Luca is from the Abruzzo region, where an earthquake early last month killed nearly 300 people and drove some 50,000 from their homes. The words "Forza Abruzzo" or "Go Abruzzo" are printed on the side of his jersey.

"My mission this year is to wear the pink jersey in Rome, and then bring it back to the Abruzzo and let those people enjoy it," said Di Luca, the 2007 Giro winner. "It's the least I can do."

With the race resuming after a rest day, Di Luca was timed in 6 hours, 30 minutes, 43 seconds over the 163-mile route from Cuneo to Pinerolo. The race's longest stage passed through the Sestriere ski resort and commemorated Fausto Coppi's legendary solo breakaway in the 1949 Giro.

"The stage suited me," Di Luca said. "I recuperated well on the rest day, which was important because this was a very long stage, almost like a (single-day classic). I checked the final downhill section twice yesterday.

Franco Pellizotti finished 10 seconds behind Di Luca, with Denis Menchov third with the same time.

Di Luca leads Menchov by 1:20 in the overall standings. He began the day with a 13-second lead over Thomas Lovkvist, but the Swede couldn't keep up on the last climb and dropped 1:39. Di Luca also earned a 20-second time bonus for his victory.

Defending Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre finished fourth, 10 seconds back, while contenders Levi Leipheimer and Ivan Basso came in 29 seconds after Di Luca. Leipheimer remained fourth overall, but his gap behind Di Luca stretched to 1:40. Basso is seventh, 2:03 back.

The race could be decided Thursday in the nearly 38-mile individual time trial along the coastal area known as Cinque Terre.

Leipheimer is being tapped as the favorite for the time trial, and five-time Tour de France and Giro winner Eddy Merckx picked him for overall victory.

"If I have to name one rider, it's Leipheimer," Merckx said. "He's great in time trials and Armstrong rode pretty well today and could be a big help. But watch out for Menchov, too, and if Di Luca is still the leader after the time trial, he can win."