(ANSA) - Bari, May 8 - Britain's Bradley Wiggins slipped on the cobbles on Tuesday's fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia but is still well on track to becoming the first rider since the late Marco Pantani to do the Giro-Tour de France double.

Sir Bradley, who won the Tour last year as well as the Olympic time trial, slipped down to sixth in the general classification after stage four Tuesday, won by Italy's Enrico Battaglin. Team Sky star Wiggins had trouble on a rain-slicked cobbled home stretch, his lanky frame struggling to stay in the saddle.

Heavy rain is also forecast for Wednesday's fifth stage as the Giro starts coiling back up the Italian boot from Puglia to to Matera in Basilicata. The generally flat stage is tailor-made for spirnters like Wiggin's compatriot Mark Cavendish, who won the opening stage Saturday. But the Manxman will need to get over two short climbs close to the finish to have a shot at claiming his 12th Giro stage win. Denmark's Matti Breschel is also one to look out for in the closing stages. The Dane has shown on French and Belgian pave' he has the technique to deal with the bumps in the road near the finish and the sprint to hold on once he reaches the top. Wiggins and the other riders targeting the 'maglia rosa' or pink leader's jersey, will sit back in the bunch and hopefully stay out of trouble. On Tuesday former track rider Wiggins, whose Tour and Olympic win brought him huge popularity and the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award, completed the final climb with his rivals but lost time after being caught behind a crash near the finish. Wiggo, a colourful character with Mod-style sideburns and a keen guitarist who once played on stage with the Jam's Paul Weller, lost 17 seconds to overall leader Luca Paolini and is now 34 seconds down on the Italian overall. Italy's Danilo Di Luca, 37, looked like he might win a long wet stage but was caught by the peloton in the last 100m. The last 6km of the stage was tackled in heavy rain on slippery roads and included a sharp descent, followed by a flat section before a cobbled road in the home straight. Team Sky's Rigoberto Uran, who was not hurt by a split in the peloton, moved to second overall, with Wiggins falling four places. But Wiggins is still well in touch with his main rivals.

Last year's Giro winner, Canada's Ryder Hesjedal, is on the same time in fifth, while fourth-placed Vincenzo Nibali of Italy is only three seconds better off. It was a difficult day in the saddle for all the riders, with two climbs on a gruelling 244km slog in the second-longest stage of this year's Giro. None of the big names went on the attack but there were repeated breakaway attempts by less-fancied riders.

Di Luca and unheralded Colombian Robinson Eduardo Chalapud Gomez made what appeared to be a winning move when they stayed clear at the top of the Croce Ferratata climb. Di Luca, the 2007 Giro winner, did most of the work but was denied victory in the home straight when the bunch caught up. Battaglin timed his attack to perfection after more than six hours in the saddle and eased across the line, arms aloft. This year's 96th edition of the world's second-biggest bike race, the Tour's grittier younger brother, has "something for everyone," organisers said Friday.

"The route for the race has something for them all, the sprinters, the time-triallers, the climbers," said organiser Gazzetta dello Sport.

The three-week Giro started in Naples Saturday and will cover 3,405km before finishing in Brescia on May 26.

It features seven sprint finishes and Cavendish is hungry for more glory.

There will also be five stages over high mountains, including two gruelling climbs on the third-last and penultimate days with finishes at the top of the Val Martello and the much feared Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

There will be three time trials - two individual ones, including an uphill one in the 18th stage, and a team time trial as well, which will suit Wiggins down to the ground.

The race will leave Italy and go into France on the 15th stage with a finish at Col du Galibier, which is one of the toughest climbs to feature on the Tour de France.

The only sour note on the Giro's eve was the news that two-time champion Ivan Basso has had to pull out because of injury.

Wiggins is the clear favourite while Astana rider and 2010 Vuelta champion Nibali, nicknamed 'the shark', is Italy's best hope.