From left, Lance Armstrong, Ivan Basso and Danilo Di Luca talk as they lead the pack during the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia, Tour of Italy cycling race, a city circuit in Milan, on Sunday.

MILAN — Lance Armstrong already has a tenuous relationship with Tour de France organizers. Now his rapport with the Giro d’Italia appears at risk, too.

Armstrong played an integral role in a protest by riders over concerns about the safety of the ninth stage of the Giro on Sunday. As a result, all 190 riders were given the same time as winner Mark Cavendish.

“We saw in the first lap that the course wasn’t safe,” said overall leader Danilo Di Luca. “There were cars parked in the middle of the road, traffic islands and tram lines. We asked the organizers to annul the times and we’re happy that they granted our request.”

Several riders acknowledged that Armstrong had a hand in organizing the protest, and race director Angelo Zomegnan was livid.

“This circuit required explosive bursts. It required riders to get their butts up off the seats of their bikes, and some riders who are not so young anymore apparently don’t feel like doing that,” Zomegnan said. “Instead, it seems like their legs have become shorter and their tongues longer.”

Cavendish clocked 4 hours, 16 minutes, 13 seconds over the 102.5-mile leg. Allan Davis crossed second and Tyler Farrar was third.

Di Luca holds a 13-second lead over Thomas Lovkvist in the overall standings, with Michael Rogers third, 44 seconds back, and Armstrong’s Astana teammates Levi Leipheimer fourth, 51 seconds behind and Chris Horner, of Bend, eighth, 1:25 behind.

Armstrong is 25th overall, 4:39 behind Di Luca.

No time bonuses were awarded to the top three finishers.

Aware that he wouldn’t lose any time, Armstrong dropped off the back of the pack with 10 miles to go. Di Luca and Ivan Basso’s Liquigas team soon followed suit.

Armstrong has acknowledged that RCS Sport is paying him a significant sum to race the Giro for the first time, and until the Texan began criticizing several stage finishes as overly dangerous a few days ago, Zomegnan and the RCS-controlled Gazzetta dello Sport were his biggest cheerleaders.

Armstrong himself said the group was “livid” with the lengthy seventh stage Friday that concluded with a dangerous and steep descent through the rain.