Tom Dumoulin of Team Sunweb has kept the overall lead at the 100th Giro d'Italia following a Queen Stage of the race in the Alps that will be talked about for years to come and which was won by defending champion Vincenzo Nibali of Bahrain-Merida after a scintillating final descent.
Today's sixteenth stage of the race took in three huge climbs - the Mortirolo, followed by an unprecedented double climb of the Stelvio.
On Sunday's Stage 15 into Bergamo, Dumoulin had made the group containing the overall contenders wait after Movistar's Nairo Quintano, his closest rival on the General Classification, had crashed on a descent.
Today, the tables were turned as the Dutch rider, apparently suffering from an upset stomach, had to stop by the roadside ahead of the final climb, taking off the maglia rosa and lowering his bibshorts to let nature take its course.
Nibali's Bahrain-Merida team attacked, with Quintana following the move, when many watching believe they should have waited.
On the long, snaking descent into Bormio that concluded the 222 kilometre stage from Rovetta, Nibali got away from Quintana and caught Team Sky's Mikel Landa, who had spent most of the stage out on his own at the front of the race.
There were a couple of sketchy moments for Nibali on the way into Bormio, but as the road flattened for the final kilometre, the Sicilian was behind Landa, biding his time, and came round him to take the first Italian win of the race.
Dumoulin, who on the final climb seemed to be slipping out of the maglia rosa, managed to hang on but with Quintana finishing third, has seen his advantage slashed to just 31 seconds.
His rivals, however, will still need to ensure they take more time out of him ahead of Sunday's final time trial in Milan, where among the overall contenders the Team Sunweb rider will most likely take at least some of the time he may have lost.
...you arrange a load of random crap you found in your garden into the shape of a bicycle and walk around the 'wheels'.
Exactly, and it's grown on me a bit. Certainly better looking than the new Scott Foil. Trek pricing is up the spout though!
Which is one of the reasons why we need systemic change, before individual change can happen. And that's the f... job of politicians.
Judging by the French persecutors obsession......
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Still looks more like a TCR than a Propel. This could make the TCR redundant, for the pros at any rate.
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