Di Luca's stage win enabled him to strengthen his overall lead

Race leader Danilo Di Luca of Italy stormed to victory in the 10th stage of the crisis-hit Giro d'Italia on Tuesday to extend his overall advantage.

The LPR rider broke away late in the 262km stage, the longest in the three-week race, which included a steep climb to the ski resort of Sestriere.

The Giro was hit by controversy on Sunday when riders decided the route through Milan was too dangerous.

Times for that stage do not count towards general classification.

Spain's Pedro Horrillo Munoz was seriously hurt in a fall down a ravine on Saturday, and on Tuesday a motorcyclist following the peloton with a photographer was killed in a crash on his way to the route.

Di Luca, a winner of this race in 2007, attacked on the descent of the Pra Martino climb to record a comfortable victory in a little over six and a half hours.

606: DEBATE Today's biggest loser is surely the young Swede Lövkist, who lost over a minute and a half and drops from second to eighth place overall TheGSgirl

Nobody was able to mount a serious challenge, though Franco Pellizotti of Liquigas took second on the stage 10 seconds back with two-time Tour of Spain winner Denis Menchov third ahead of reigning Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre.

Ivan Basso, Levi Leipheimer and Michael Rogers, who along with Menchov and Sastre are considered contenders for overall victory, finished 29 seconds back in the company of Lance Armstrong.

Wednesday's 11th stage is a largely flat course over 214km from Turin to Arenzano before the riders tackle Thursday's 60.6km time trial.

"My goal was to enter the time trial in pink," Di Luca said. "Now we've got to try and keep it."

Stage 10 results (Tuesday):

1 Danilo Di Luca (Italy / Team LPR ) 6 hrs 30 mins 43 secs
2 Franco Pellizotti (Italy / Liquigas ) +10 secs
3 Denis Menchov (Russia / Rabobank ) "
4 Carlos Sastre (Spain / Cervelo ) "
5 David Arroyo (Spain / Caisse d'Epargne ) +26"
6 Mauricio Soler (Colombia / Barloworld ) +29"
7 Ivan Basso (Italy / Liquigas ) "
8 Levi Leipheimer (US / Astana ) "
9 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spain / Caisse d'Epargne) "
10 Michael Rogers (Australia / Team Columbia-High Road) "

Selected others:

13 Lance Armstrong (US / Astana) "
136 Mark Cavendish (GB/ Coumbia) +35:12"

Overall standings:

1 Danilo Di Luca (Italy / Team LPR ) 44 hrs 11 secs
2 Denis Menchov (Russia / Rabobank ) +1 min 20 secs
3 Michael Rogers (Australia / Columbia ) +1:33"
4 Levi Leipheimer (US / Astana) +1:40"
5 Franco Pellizotti (Italy / Liquigas) +1:53"
6 Carlos Sastre (Spain / Cervelo) +1:54"
7 Ivan Basso (Italy / Liquigas) +2:03"
8 Thomas Lovkvist (Sweden / Team Columbia-High Road) +2:12"
9 David Arroyo Duran (Spain / Caisse d'Epargne) +2:35"
10 Gilberto Simoni (Italy / Diquigiovanni) +2:58"

Selected others:

18 Lance Armstrong (US / Astana) +5:28"
161 Mark Cavendish (GB/ Coumbia) +1:47:59"

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