Tao Geoghegan Hart came close to winning again on Tirreno-Adriatico, but was again defeated by Primoš Roglic, who came back with a strong sprint finish into a headwind near the top of the Sassotet climb.

Local hero Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo) also came through, passing Geoghegan Hart to finish second.

Roglic earned a 10-second time bonus and took the race leader's blue jersey from Leonard Kamuna (Bora-Hansgrohe). Geoghegan Hart moved up two places to sixth overall by 19 seconds, but he wanted a different race, a different result.

High winds and cold conditions had a major impact on the stage, especially on the 12.5km climb to the finish, which was moved to a junction in the valley 2km lower than the summit.

"We thought it was going to be a day of big time differences, but the weather changed everything," Geoghegan Hart told Cycling News.

Geoghegan Hart knew he would have to take off his clothes, then cover himself, take off his sweat-soaked underwear, and put on a thermal undervest, jersey, jacket, and gloves for the descent.

At the finish area, the wind blew at about 50 km/h, just as it had blown on the uphill climb to the finish.

This wind nullified many attacks on the climb, but initially helped lone attacker Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious).

"It was one of the strangest mountain finishes ever," Geoghegan Hart told Cycling News. He only slowed to exchange fists with teammates Tom Pidcock, Magnus Sheffield, and Lauren De Plus, who helped him through the wind-swept stage.

"There was a five-kilometer block headwind in the first half of the climb," explained Geoghegan Hart.

"Then we had a headwind and then a tailwind on the hairpins and straights. The race was really on and off and the wind was blowing down the mountain towards us."

Geoghegan Hart was on par with Roglic in the uphill finish of Tortolet on Thursday, but ultimately succumbed to the Slovenian's finishing power.

He had similar regrets in the Sassotet mountain finish.

"Even in the sprint, I sprinted into a headwind when suddenly I thought I had a line.

"Another rider got away from me, but there was nothing I could do. Now we'll see how the last hilly stage on Saturday goes."