sentences:  His next race was Tirreno–Adriatico; he was seen as a contender for the race but not an overall favourite, due to his relatively weak performances in time trials.After losing time in the race-opening team time trial, Scarponi won the fourth stage of the race to Chieti; along with five other riders, he went clear of the field on the final climb and with teammate Damiano Cunego also in the move to control the pace, Scarponi was able to pull further clear and despite fading towards the end, he held on for victory by a few bike lengths ahead of Cunego.He finished third on the penultimate stage, and ultimately finished third overall behind Cadel Evans and Robert Gesink, while also winning the points classification for amassing the highest number of points during stages at intermediate sprints and stage finishes.