Giro D'Italia 2013 Standings: Stage 16 Results, Leaderboard and Updates

After a wild Stage 16 in the 2013 edition of the Giro d'Italia, it was Spain’s Benat Intxausti Elorriaga who stole the stage victory on Tuesday while Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali held on to his overall lead, per the race's official site.

Both Tanel Kangert of Estonia and Przemyslaw Niemiec of Poland (second and third, respectively) made a late surge for the stage win but were held off by Elorriaga at the final moments. Lithuania’s Ramunas Navardauskas finished fourth, and Australia’s Cadel Evans rounded out the top five.

Stage 16 is notorious for being one of the more difficult portions of the race, and at 148 miles long (238 km), the medium mountain course proved to be a tough foe for many of the sport’s top performers.

It's widely regarded as one of the toughest sections of the Giro d'Italia because the long ride—third-longest section of the entire race—comes after a rest day and can overwhelm some riders.

Stage 16 started in Valloire and moved all the way to Ivrea, giving the racers some beautiful sights along the way in this uphill climb.

After a wild day, one of the toughest stages is in the books, and the final stretch to the finish has officially begun.

Stage 16 Results

1	Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa): Movistar Team	5:52:48
2	Tanel Kangert (Est): Astana Pro Team
3	Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol): Lampre-Merida
4	Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu): Garmin-Sharp	0:00:14
5	Cadel Evans (Aus): BMC Racing Team
6	Franco Pellizotti (Ita): Androni Giocattoli
7	Michele Scarponi (Ita): Lampre-Merida
8	Rafal Majka (Pol): Team Saxo-Tinkoff
9	José Herrada Lopez (Spa): Movistar Team
10	Carlos Alberto Betancur Gomez (Col): Ag2r-La Mondiale

For a complete list of Stage 16 results, visit CyclingNews.com.

Stage 16 Route

Map via the race's official site.

Overall Leaderboard

1	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team	67:55:36
2	Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team	-0:01:26
3	Rigoberto Uran (Col) Sky Procycling	-0:02:46
4	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre-Merida	-0:03:53
5	Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre-Merida	-0:04:13
6	Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia	-0:04:57
7	Carlos Alberto Betancur Gomez (Col) Ag2r-La Mondiale	-0:05:15
8	Rafal Majka (Pol) Team Saxo-Tinkoff	-0:05:20
9	Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team	-0:05:47
10	Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r-La Mondiale	-0:07:34

To see where every cyclist stands after 16 stages, visit the race's official site.

Recap and Updates

The mountains of Stage 16 are beautiful for visitors, but for a cyclist coming off a rest day and looking up at a 148-mile journey, the sight of the course can be flat-out overwhelming.

As seen Tuesday, the elite field performed well and put on a great show for all the cycling fans.

Stage 16 was all about which group the racers were in at that moment, and it wasn’t until the latter stages of the race that the elite cyclists began to separate themselves.

The lead pack ended up consisting of three men (Elorriaga, Kangert and Niemiec), and the final few hundred yards of the race ended up being a sprint between the competitors to the finish line.

That’s the kind of excitement that Stage 16 is all about.

As far as the overall leaderboard is concerned, Nibali (67:55:36)—who managed to finish 12th on Stage 16—lost ground to second-place contender Evans (1:26 behind) who managed to finish fifth, putting even more pressure on the current leader.

Evans will continue to put pressure on Nibali through the five remaining stages, but this has turned into a two-horse race. While Colombian Rigoberto Uran (2:46 behind) is making a run toward the lead, he is too far away at this point to remain a serious threat.

Stage 17 will take place on May 22—from Caravaggio to Vicenza—and is 133 miles long (214 km), but the flat course will help many of the competitors run their best times thus far. With the race winding down, it’s make-or-break time for the top challengers.

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