Tuesday’s misery-packed stage in the Italian Alps confirmed that Italy’s Giulio Ciccone is the master of the mountains in the 102nd Giro d’Italia, winning the 16th stage in a two-man breakaway with Czech Jan Hirt.
This stage was altered because of heavy snow that prevented the route from crossing the Passo Gavia, which would have been the highest point in the race this year. Even so, the revamped, 194 km course included four significant climbs before the feared Passo del Montirolo, a 1,308 m rise in just 12 km.
But Ciccone, who will certainly win the “King of the Mountains” classification at this year’s Giro, passed all of the climbs in front and he and Hirt broke well clear of all others to win by 1:20, despite heavy rain that hit as the Montirolo climb began. It was Ciccone’s second career World Tour race win … his other being a 2016 Giro stage.
Behind them, the chase for the title was changing once again. This time it was Italian star – and two-time prior winner – Vincenzo Nibali who attacked on the descent of the Montirolo and tried to put some distance between him and leader Richard Carapaz (ECU) and race favorite Primoz Roglic (SLO).
It didn’t work as well as hoped and Carapaz, Spain’s Mikel Landa, Hugh Carthy (GBR) and Joe Dombrowski (USA) all caught up and finished as a group, 1:41 behind Ciccone.
Further back, however, came Roglic, Britain’s Simon Yates, Bauke Mollema (NED) and Mikel Nieve (ESP), some 3:03 back and that re-arranged the overall standings:
1. 70:02:05 Richard Carapaz (ECU)
2. +1:47 Vincenzo Nibali (ITA)
3. +2:09 Primoz Roglic (SLO)
4. +3:15 Mikel Landa (ESP)
5. +5:00 Bauke Mollema (NED)
There is still quite a bit of riding left, with three more mountain stages before the final time trial on Sunday. Summaries so far:
UCI World Tour/Giro d’Italia
Italy ~ 11 May-2 June 2019
(Full results here)
Stage 1 (8.0 km Time Trial): 1. Primoz Roglic (SLO), 12:54; 2. Simon Yates (GBR), 13:13; 3. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), 13:17; 4. Miguel Angel Lopez (COL), 13:22; 5. Tom Dumoulin (NED), 13:22. Also in the top 25: 21. Chad Haga (USA), 13:48.
Stage 2 (205.0 km): 1. Pascal Ackermann (GER), 4:44:43; 2. Elia Viviani (ITA), 4:44:43; 3. Caleb Ewan (AUS), 4:44:43; 4. Fernando Gaviria (COL), 4:44:43; 5. Arnaud Demare (FRA), 4:44:43.
Stage 3 (220.0 km): 1. Gaviria (COL), 5:23:19; 2. Demare (FRA), 5:23:19; 3. Ackermann (GER), 5:23:19; 4. Matteo Moschetti (ITA), 5;23:19; 5. Giocomo Nizzolo (ITA), 5:23:19. (Viviani (ITA) won the race, but was disqualified for impeding another rider at the finish.)
Stage 4 (235.0 km): 1. Richard Carapaz (ECU), 5:58:17; 2. Ewan (AUS), 5:58:17; 3. Diego Ulissi (ITA), 5:58:17; 4. Ackermann (GER), 5:58:19; 5. Florian Senechal (FRA), 5:58:19.
Stage 5 (140.0 km): 1. Ackermann (GER), 3:15:44; 2. Gaviria (COL), 3:15:44; 3. Demare (FRA), 3:15:44; 4. Ewan (AUS), 3:15:44; 5. Matteo Moschetti (ITA), 3:15:44. Also in the top 25: 13. Sean Bennett (USA), 3:15:44
Stage 6 (238.0 km): 1. Fausto Masnada (ITA), 5:45:01; 2. Valerio Conti (ITA), 5:45:06; 3. Jose Joaquin Rojas (ESP), 5:45:39; 4. Ruben Plaza (ESP), 5:45:39; 5. Giovanni Carboni (ITA), 5:45:44. Also in the top 25: 20. Brent Bookwalter (USA), 5:52:20.
Stage 7 (185.0 km): 1. Pello Bilbao (ESP), 4:06:27; 2. Tony Gallopin (FRA), 4:06:32; 3. Davide Formolo (ITA), 4:06:32; 4. Lucas Hamilton (AUS), 4:06:36; 5. Mattia Cattaneo (ITA), 4:06:36. Also in the top 25: 23. Joe Dombrowski (USA), 4:07:34.
Stage 8 (239.0 km): 1. Ewan (AUS), 5:43:32; 2. Viviani (ITA), 5:43:32; 3. Ackermann (GER), 5:43:32; 4. Fabio Sabatini (ITA), 5:43:32; 5. Manuel Belletti (ITA), 5:43:32.
Stage 9 (34.8 km Time Trial): 1. Roglic (SLO), 51:52; 2. Victor Campenaerts (BEL), 52:03; 3. Bauke Mollema (NED), 52:52; 4. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), 53:57; 5. Tanel Kangert (EST), 53:02. Also in the top 25: 6. Haga (USA), 53:06.
Stage 10 (145.0 km): 1. Demare (FRA), 3:36:07; 2. Viviani (ITA), 3:36:07; 3. Rudiger Selig (GER), 3:36:07; 4. Ewan (AUS), 3:36:07; 5. Nizzolo (ITA), 3:36:07. Also in the top 25: Bennett (USA), 3:36:07.
Stage 11 (221.0 km): 1. Ewan (AUS), 5:17:26; 2. Demare (FRA), 5:17:26; 3. Ackermann (GER), 5:17:26; 4. Viviani (ITA), 5:17:26; 5. Davide Cimolai (ITA), 5:17:26. Also in the top 25: 10. Bennett (USA), 5:17:26.
Stage 12 (158.0 km): 1. Cesare Benedetti (ITA), 3:41:49; 2. Damiano Caruso (ITA), 3:41:49; 3. Eddie Dunbar (IRL), 3:41:49; 4. Gianluca Brambilla (ITA), 3:41:51; 5. Eros Capecchi (ITA), 3:41:55.
Stage 13 (196.0 km): 1. Ilnur Zakarin (RUS), 5:34:40; 2. Mikel Nieve (ESP), 5:35:15; 3. Mikel Landa (ESP), 5:36:00; 4. Carapaz (ECU), 5:36:18; 5. Bauke Mollema (NED), 5:36:25. Also in the top 25: 13. Dombrowski (USA), 5:39:05.
Stage 14 (131.9 km): 1. Carapaz (ECU), 4:02:23; 2. S. Yates (GBR), 4:03:55; 3. Nibali (ITA), 4:04:17; 4. Rafal Majka (POL), 4:04:17; 5. Mikel Landa (ESP), 4:04:17. Also in the top 25: 9. Dombrowski (USA), 4:04:17; … 24. Sepp Kuss (USA), 4:09:43.
Stage 15 (232.0 km): 1. Dario Cataldo (ITA), 5:48:15; 2. Mattia Cattaneo (ITA), 5:48:15; 3. S. Yates (GBR), 5:48:26; 4. Hugh Carthy (GBR), 5:48:26; 5. Carapaz (ECU), 5:48:26. Also in the top 25: 22. Dombrowski (USA), 5:50:22.
Stage 16 (194.0 km): 1. Giulio Ciccone (ITA), 5:36:24; 2. Jan Hirt (CZE), 5:36:24; 3. Masnada (ITA), 5:37:44; 4. Nibali (ITA), 5:38:05; 5. Carthy (GBR), 5:38:05. Also in the top 25: 8. Dombrowski (USA), 5:38:05.
29 May: Stage 17 (181.0 km) ~ Commezzadura to Anterselva/Antholz (mountains)
30 May: Stage 18 (222.0 km) ~ Valdaora / Olang to Santa Maria di Sala (flat)
31 May: Stage 19 (151.0 km) ~ Treviso to San Martino di Castrozza (mountains)
01 June: Stage 20 (194.0 km) ~ Feltre to Croce D’Aune-Monte Avena (mountains)
02 June: Stage 21 (17.0 km Time Trial) ~ Verona to Verona
