Australia's Allan Davis finished second behind British sprint king Mark Cavendish in a dramatic ninth stage of the Giro d'Italia, but the times did not count in the overall standings after a rider protest against the dangerous city circuit.
Cavendish's win followed hours of controversy which saw race director Angelo Zomegnan fuming after the entire peloton stopped six laps from the end to make a protest about unsatisfactory safety measures.
Zomegnan agreed, reluctantly, that the times from the stage would not count towards the race's general classification. So Italian Danilo Di Luca retained the race leader's pink jersey with his 13 second lead on Sweden's Thomas Lovkvist intact ahead of yesterday's rest day.
Canberra rider Michael Rogers, Cavendish's Team Columbia-High Road teammate, remains third overall, 44 seconds back.
Rogers said on his Twitter website the peloton was worried another rider could be seriously hurt after Spanish rider Pedro Horillo Munoz was badly injured after falling 60m off the side of the road on a downhill section on Saturday. Rogers wrote, ''Maybe on TV it didn't look dangerous but believe me, it was. No one wants to see a repeat of yesterday's disaster with Horillio''.
''Funny that everyone is blaming the riders for our protest today. No one mentions the parked cars on the circuit, the oncoming traffic, tram tracks in the middle of corners, people walking onto the circuit.''
With the pack riding slower than expected, Cavendish finished the 165km in 4hr 16min 13sec, with Davis second and Tyler Farrar third.
All 190 riders were given the same time as the winner. The peleton came to a stop midway through the stage and Di Luca made an announcement to the fans with a microphone.
''We're sorry, but the course is too dangerous,'' Di Luca said, with seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong beside him.
''We don't want to risk our health. The circuit is not safe enough. We hope the fans understand.''
Filippo Pozzato of Katusha team said, ''After the first lap, Lance said this circuit shouldn't be raced on''.
Zomegnan was not happy with the protest. ''When a race starts it has to finish,'' he said. ''They've betrayed the fans.''
Riders Armstrong in particular have been critical of dangerous finishes throughout the race.
''This circuit required explosive bursts. It required riders to get their butts up off the seats of their bikes, and some riders who are not so young anymore apparently don't feel like doing that,'' Zomegnan said, in a jab apparently aimed at Armstrong.
''Instead, it seems like their legs became shorter and their tongues longer.''
Armstrong is 25th overall, 4:39 behind Di Luca.
Only the sprinters teams were at the front at the end, and Cavendish's Australian teammate Mark Renshaw set up the British rider's victory.
After the rest day yesterday, the race resumes today with a 262km mountain leg from Cuneo to Pinerolo, passing through Sestriere ski resort. The race ends in Rome on May 31. AP