- - So, how does that affect the GC? We will find out once all the stragglers are over the line, but we can be sure Adriano Malori (Lampre-ISD) is no longer in the Maglia Rosa because he dropped off the back of the peloton.

0km - It's Michele Scarponi versus Paolo Tiralongo... and TIRALONGO WINS IT! Frank Schleck third, Joaquim Rodriguez fourth.

1km - Herrada is on his own and inside the final kilometre. Pirazzi has been caught.

2km - Pirazzi and Herrada give it everything on the downhill section, can they stay out? They have only got about 20 seconds to play with.

5km - Pirazzi empties a bottle of water over himself - on the seductiveness scale, it's not Myleene Klass, but he's probably got more important things to worry about. Rabottini has come off the front due to chain problems.

10km - 30 seconds now between the Herrada/Pirazzi/Rabottini group and the peloton. Not really enough, is it?

13km - The Maglia Rosa Adriano Malori has lost contact with the back of the peloton. His time in pink is coming to an end.

15km - The leaders are less than a minute in front now, and any semblance of cooperation has disappeared. They have had it.

18km - The lead at the 20km mark was 1'58". Popular wisdom dictates you need 10km to reduce the gap by a minute, but I don't think it will be that close - especially on a climb.

21km - Garmin and Radio Shack at the front of the peloton, now - Hunter does another stint.

26km - Fumiyuki Beppu makes a break for it and Mirko Selvaggi goes with him! Will they make it stick? Selvaggi doesn't look too keen...

28km - Into L'Aquila, the city hit by a major earthquake in 2009, killing 308 people, injuring 1,500 and making 65,000 homeless. Still a lot of cranes and scaffolding as the rebuilding operationg continues some three years after the tragedy.

35km - Robbie Hunter (Garmin-Barracuda) does a stint at the head of the peloton in his rather fetching South African flag jersey. Garmin now setting the pace, and this will pose a major threat to the escape.

45km - So then, how will the last hour or so of this stage play out? The riders are on a gentle downhill trajectory, and apart from a little rise at L'Aquila they will continue descending until the foot of the final climb. From there, they will rise from 602m to 1361m over 15km. Then, in the last five kilometres, there is a short downhill section before a final, short, steep climb to the finish at Rocca di Cambio.

55km - The breakaway goes through the gorgeously picturesque hilltop town of Montereale - it lies on the edge of the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga national park, and it really is beautiful. Montereale on Google Maps

65km - Lampre have come to the front of the peloton - they are pushing the pace but the gap is still around 7'30".

80km - We have quotes from Gianni Meersman (Lotto-Belisol) after he abandoned earlier today. He had back and knee injuries relating to a crash on stage two - he was in serious pain yesterday, and despite a session with the osteopath last night, he was unable to continue today. Gianni Meersman quotes (in Flemish)

95km - Classification at Colle Galluccio, a category 3 climb: 1-Beppu (5pts), 2-Rabottini (3pts), 3-Hollenstein (2pts), 4-Selvaggi (1pt).

95km - On the comments board, Matt O asks: "Any comments on the story Cavendish and the group he­ was in yesterday covered the last 15km in 16 minutes to­ make the time cut, thanks to a helicopter? True or not?" Don't think they finished as quickly as that, but the linked story has some great quotes from Bernhard Eisel illustrating just how cream crackered he was. Cav, Eisel nearly miss cut

105km - The leaders are now on the category 3 Colle Galluccio climb, the only classified climb before the end at Rocca di Cambio. The lead is now down to 7'10". Colle Galluccio 3D Tour

120km - As things stand, there is a breakaway comprising Fumiyuki Beppu (Orica-Greenedge), Matteo Rabottini (Farnese-Vini), Reto Hollenstein (Netapp) and Mirko Selvaggi (Vancasoleil). The race goes live on British Eurosport at 13:30 UK time. British Eurosport TV guide

130km - Lampre have come to the front of the peloton and are pushing the pace a little to keep the escapees in range. But the gap is reducing very slowly at the moment.

145km - The escapees lead by 8'20" now, and are on a climb up to the town of Rustici in the Fermo province. It is a short, sharp climb of a couple of hundred metres, but it is a gradient of up to 11%, so not much fun while it lasts.

160km - A recap of how they stand after stage six - Adriano Malori (Lampre) is the man in pink, holding a 15-second lead over Michal Golas (Omega Pharma-Quick Step). Giro d'Italia GC

170km - The sun was shining at the start of the stage, and the weather is expected to be good for the rest of the day. It was a scorching 26C in Recanati, while the temperature was a cooler 19C at the hilltop finish at Rocca di Cambio.

190km - Here's a look at the final few kilometres of the race - there is a peak at Valcio, 3.5km from the end, followed by a short downhill section and another climb up to Rocca di Cambio, including a short spell at 10% gradient. Final kilometres profile

200km - Today's stage is a 205km trip south into the Abruzzo region of Eastern Italy. It is an interesting stage profile, gradually climbing throughout the day. There is a catregory three climb at the halfway point, and a category two finish at Rocca di Cambio, which is at 1392m above sea level.