"I had no strength to attack on the run-in"

Amets Txurruka, always an odds-on favourite to feature in dangerous breaks in Grand Tours, once again found himself in an ideal position on today's hilly leg 12 of the Giro d'Italia - but once again failed to capitalize. The likeable climber had no response to Lars Ytting Bak's late-race acceleration that eventually netted him the stage win, and the Euskaltel rider lamented the toll 12 days of racing is taking on him.

"I'm feeling the effects of this race, and my legs aren't the same as when we started out", he told the team's website. "It was a good day for a break to stay clear today, so it was hard to infiltrate the right one as everyone set out with the same idea. We succeeded, but it cost a lot. But once you're in the break, it's all about how you can come out triumphant. I'm not particularly fast, so I tried to attack on the climb. I lacked a bit of strength though, so I stopped once they caught my wheel."

The break regrouped on the descent, but the 29-year-old explained he had nothing left in the tank to give it a go on the flat kilometres leading to the line.

"Everyone in the group were watching each other, but I had no strength to attack from afar. In the sprint I ended up seventh. When you're in a break like that, you're in with a chance to win, but it just wasn't possible."