The Australian clocked 4 hours, 37 hours, 58 seconds over the 182-kilometer (114-mile) hilly sixth leg from Ussita to Macerata, beating Italian riders Giovanni Visconti and Michele Scarponi in a sprint finish.

Scarponi attacked on a steep uphill section shortly before the finish, but Evans and Nibali caught him when the road flattened out in the final meters.

“I anticipated the moves my opponents made and it worked out well for me,” said Evans, the 2009 world champion.

“We also had a stage finish here last year and I learned a thing or two. ... It was a very tough stage today with narrow and bumpy roads and I'm very happy to finish off the work of my team.” In the overall standings, Evans holds a nine-second lead ahead of Scarponi, with Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso 12 seconds back in third.

The coast-to-coast race ends Tuesday with a 9.3-kilometer individual time trial in San Benedetto del Tronto.

“It's a time trial for specialists - straight and flat,” Scarponi said. “It favors Evans, Nibali and Basso.” Many riders are using this event as a warmup for Saturday's Milan-San Remo, the opening single-day classic of the season.