Giro d’Italia Stage 16 Race Report: Stage 16 of the Giro d’Italia turned the GC of the Italian Grand Tour upside down. Of the favourites for the final victory, Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) was the strongest. The Ecuadorian rode away on the final climb and nearly took the pink jersey from Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates XRG). The Mexican was in trouble and lost time. The stage victory went to Christian Scaroni, ahead of his XDS Astana teammate and KOM, Lorenzo Fortunato.
Stage 16 finale
The rider’s will be glad of the rest day, as stage 16 has the most amount of climbing of this year’s Giro d’Italia. With five Alpine mammoth climbs, the GC should get a good shake up over the 5,000 metres of climbing.
After 67 kilometres and the La Fricca climb, there are no flat roads. Next comes the steeper Candrai climb (10km at 7%), followed by the much easier Cat 3 Vigo Cavedine.
The summit finish of San Valentino
After 150 kilometres and 50 kilometres to go, there is the Santa Barbara (12.7 kilometres at 8.3%), with its steepest sections at 14%. The San Valentino climb from Brentonico it 18.2 kilometres long at an average of 6.2%. It is much harder than it sounds, it is a pass in three sections with steep ramps of up to 14%. The GC contenders will have to bring the top form.
I was a wet start in Fiume Piazzola sul Brenta
The weather changed on Tuesday and the rain poured down at the start. The tough stage kicked-off in very bad weather conditions, but this did not stop the race going at ‘full gas’. In a very nervous first part, there was many attacks. Due to the nervousness in the peloton there was a crash involving Thymen Arensman, but the Dutchman was able to continue. When Arensman came down, Wout van Aert had just attacked. The Belgian instigated a break of 7. He was joined by Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost), Lorenzo Germani (Groupama-FDJ), Joshua Tarling (INEOS Grenadiers), Jon Barrenetxea (Movistar), Josef Cerny (Soudal Quick-Step) and Xabier Mikel Azparren (Q36.5).
Pink jersey, under the rain jacket, Isaac Del Toro ready for another day
This escape group built up a lead of 45 seconds, despite the many counter-attacks from the peloton. Tarling unluckily slid on a roundabout and crashed into the barrier. The winner of the first time trial was on the ground for a long time and had to abandon the Giro. The break had to do without the horsepower of the time trial specialist, but they started the Carbonare climb with a lead of 2 minutes. That lead was not on the peloton, which wasn’t that interested, but on a chasing group of 18 riders. That group eventually managed to cross on the climb.
Primoz Roglič started stage 16, but didn’t finish due to a crash
The van Aert group were joined by some strong riders just before the top: Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Lorenzo Fortunato, Fausto Masnada and Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana), Gijs Leemreize (Picnic PostNL), Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Jefferson Alveiro Cepeda (Movistar) and Yannis Voisard (Tudor) were amongst them. The lead increased to 7 minutes. For Fortunato this was just in time, as he had the chance to take the top points in the KOM and consolidate his lead in the mountains classification. At the top of the second climb, the one to Candriai, he did it again. On the descent, Alessio Martinelli slid on a wet bend at high speed and slid under the barrier. He was rescued by a mountain rescue team and had to be taken to the hospital. His team said that he had pass out, but was okay when he was came too.
Wout van Aert was part of the early break of the day
After 100 kilometres Primoz Roglič also had to stop. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe leader crashed again early in the stage together with Richard Carapaz and this was the end of the Giro for the Slovenian, who was one of the favourite for the final overall victory. Egan Bernal also crashed, but fortunately the Colombian champion was able to continue.
Gijs Leemreize (Team Picnic PostNL) was one of the strong-men in the escape
At the front of the race the pace was high towards the crucial Santa Barbara climb. On the climb the race was split, as Fortunato put in an attack. The KOM made his move early on the climb and only Bilbao, Moniquet, Cepeda, Leemreize, Voisard and Scaroni were able to follow. Fortunato took all the mountain points again.
Alessio Martinelli (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane) slid under a barrier and down a ravine. He was rescued and his team say he in hospital and okay after he had passed, but regained consciousness
It wasn’t only at the front that there was a split. In the favourites group, the action had started. The first top rider to let go was third overall, Juan Ayuso. The UAE Spaniard was in big trouble on the Santa Barbara climb and his dream of winning the Giro was gone. It was also too fast for Thymen Arensman and his teammate Bernal, but the Colombian did manage to return.
The sun eventually came out
Bernal managed to get back with the elite group, joining the pink jersey Del Toro, his teammates Adam Yates and Rafal Majka, Simon Yates, Carapaz, Derek Gee, Antonio Tiberi, Damiano Caruso and Einer Rubio. They had closed the gap to the leaders at the top of the Santa Barbara to around 4 minutes. Before that, two GC riders had already attacked: Michael Storer and Max Poole, both looking to gain time or even go for the stage victory.
Watering Can Man?
Storer and Poole were caught on the descent of the Santa Barbara, on the way to the final climb. Voisard rode away from his fellow escapees on the descent, and started the 18.2 kilometre final climb with a lead. The chasers looked to have eased up, but Scaroni, Fortunato and Cepeda rode hard together and pulled back Voisard.
Simon Yates was watching Del Toro, he would have help form Van Aert
XDS Astana had two men at the front, and after a few attacks by Fortunato, it was Scaroni who got away. Cepeda was in trouble and could only watch Fortunato jump away shortly afterwards and close the gap to his teammate. The two Italians then rode together to the finish line. Scaroni was ‘gifted’ the stage victory, his first win in the Giro.
Christian Scaroni and KOM, Lorenzo Fortunato went for the stage win together
The favourites were waiting for some action on the final climb, this came in the final kilometres. It was Simon Yates set a hard pace on the climb, but he couldn’t make an impression on Del Toro. But then the leader of the race had no answer to a storming attack from Carapaz. After his big jump, the Ecuadorian soon had a minute on Yates and Del Toro, the Mexican was showing signs of weakness for the first time.
Simon Yates put the hammer down, but didn’t make an impression
Del Toro managed to keep his pink jersey, but lost time to his competitors. At the finish, he was more than a minute and a half down on Carapaz and he also lost out to Simon Yates and Derek Gee. In the general classification, they all moved closer together. Del Toro is still in the lead, but Yates is now at 26 seconds and Carapaz at 31 seconds. Gee and Caruso are now fourth and fifth. Ayuso and Arensman both dropped out of the top 10 and Roglič abandoned.
Richard Carapaz attacked and went solo to take time on the overall
Stage winner, Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana): “I’m really happy to win a stage of the Giro d’Italia. Lorenzo Fortunato and I fought very hard and very well. I felt really good when it started to rain at the beginning of the stage. Towards the end, we spoke and decided that I’d take the stage while he was scoring the KOM points. He let me win the stage. I was at the limit in the last kilometre. It was very steep there. In the last climb we dropped the other riders one after the other. We weren’t sure if the Maglia Rosa group or Richard Carapaz would catch us. This victory is for the team. It’s difficult for me to realise that I’ve won a stage of the Giro d’Italia.”
A good day for XDS Astana – Win for Scaroni, second for KOM Fortunato
Overall leader, Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates XRG): “I only really realised today that I am wearing the pink jersey. Everyone was attacking me and it was really difficult. I tried to follow them but I couldn’t. I still can’t believe that I have to defend against these guys. I did everything I could. I had nothing left at the finish and I can’t blame myself. I suffered all the time, it got worse and worse. But the team did a great job. They were always around me. They give me so much confidence and advice. It’s the same Giro. I have to keep playing the same card: be smart and sometimes race offensively or sometimes defensively. That I am the only leader now? The team supports me and I am super happy. And super tired of course. And as for Juan Ayuso: he has already crashed a few times and said this morning that he didn’t have the best feeling. Anyone can have a bad day.”
Isaac Del Toro held the pink jersey… just
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Giro d’Italia Stage 16 Result:
1. Christian Scaroni (Ita) XDS Astana in 5:35:05
2. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) XDS Astana
3. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:55
4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost at 1:10
5. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 1:23
6. Jefferson Albeiro Cepeda (Ecu) Movistar at 1:43
7. Michael Storer (Aus) Tudor at 1:52
8. Simon Yates (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike
9. Gijs Leemreize (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL at 2:19
10. Yannis Voisard (Sui) Tudor at 2:31.
Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 16:
1. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mex) UAE Emirates XRG in 61:31:56
2. Simon Yates (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:26
3. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost at 0:31
4. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 1:31
5. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 2:40
6. Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 3:23
7. Michael Storer Tudor (Aus) at 3:31
8. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 4:07
9. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 4:36
10. Adam Yates (GB) UAE Emirates XRG at 5:08.
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