Giro d'Italia 2015: Stage 16 Results, Overall Standings and Highlights

Mikel Landa finished solo to win Stage 16 of the 2015 Giro d'Italia on Tuesday, but maglia rosa holder Alberto Contador stole the show with an impressive comeback, increasing his lead in the standings over Fabio Aru.  

The Astana leader lost several minutes on Tuesday after Contador exploded on the slopes of Mortirolo, and only Landa was able to limit the damage in the race for the general classification.

Here are the top 10 finishers:

Rider (Nationality) Team	Time
1 Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Astana Pro Team	5:02:53
2 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo	0:00:38
3 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo	Same Time
4 Yury Trofimov (Rus) Team Katusha	0:02:03
5 Andrey Amador (Crc) Movistar Team	Same Time
6 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team	0:02:10
7 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team	0:02:51
8 Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team	0:03:18
9 Leopold Konig (Cze) Team Sky	0:03:19
10 Carlos Betancur (Col) AG2R La Mondiale	Same Time

Stage 16 was one of the toughest challenges in this year's Giro, featuring five heavy climbs and an uphill finish. Along the way, the peloton would pass over the dreaded Mortirolo, as shared by Team Sky:

If any of the top contenders were planning an assault on Contador's top spot, it would have to happen on Tuesday. Ryder Hesjedal was given an early lead, and the big guns in the peloton took their time setting up for the finale.

Their hopes were given an unexpected boost when Contador suffered a puncture 10 kilometers before the foot of Mortirolo, and Tinkoff-Saxo had difficulty organising a train to bring the Spaniard back to the front. Roman Kreuziger aided the leader with all his might, but Astana pushed the tempo for Aru in the peloton.

Landa did a fantastic job of setting the pace, but Aru suffered a meltdown on the slopes of Montirolo, and out of nowhere, Contador bridged the gap. Steven Kruijswijk launched an attack, and Landa was forced to wait, but before long, Contador had completed his comeback and launched an attack of his own.

Sky Sports' Orla Chennaoui couldn't believe it:

Aru was powerless to stop the Spaniard, and Landa bridged the gap on his own, as the two made their way to the front of the race to join Kruijswijk. Contador completely took Aru out of the race, and cycling legend Stuart O'Grady thought perhaps aspiring riders should take note:

Even Hesjedal passed the Italian before the summit of Mortirolo, but to his credit, the young Italian gathered himself during the descent and limited the damage on the final climb to Aprica. He ran into some unfortunate mechanical issues and would end the day almost three minutes behind team-mate Landa.

The eventual winner left Contador and Kruijswijk behind on the final climb with a surprise attack, winning his second uphill stage of this year's Giro after his impressive showing at Madonna di Campiglio. Kruijswijk and Contador finished almost 40 seconds later.

Cycling blogger Mikkel Conde was impressed with the fighting spirit Aru showed, but the Italian still lost his second spot in the standings to Landa:

Here's how the general classification looks after Stage 16:

Rider (Nationality) Team	Time
1 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo	65:04:59
2 Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Astana Pro Team	0:04:02
3 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team	0:04:52
4 Andrey Amador (Crc) Movistar Team	0:05:48
5 Yury Trofimov (Rus) Team Katusha	0:08:27
6 Leopold Konig (Cze) Team Sky	0:09:21
7 Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team	0:09:52
8 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo	0:11:40
9 Alexandre Geniez (Fra) FDJ.fr	0:12:48
10 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team	0:12:49

Fans and pundits alike will surely discuss Astana's decision to push the tempo when Contador suffered his puncture for days to come. In cycling, it's an unwritten rule that you never take advantage of mechanical issues for the tour leader, but speaking to Sky Sports, Landa stated that's exactly what his team did:

"

A really beautiful day for me. We saw that Contador had a problem. Katusha rode the group full gas and we collaborated with them.

On the Mortirolo, Fabio didn’t feel very good and he told me to go with Alberto and Kruijswijk. In the last kilometres they started to play for winning the stage. I started and didn’t know I was so strong.

"

Landa went head-to-head with Contador in the high mountains and emerged victorious for the second time in this Giro, and it's safe to say the 25-year-old is the biggest threat to his compatriot's bid to win the 2015 Giro at this point.

Aru is exceptionally talented, but he has shown his inexperience at key times during this Giro. If Astana are smart, they won't ask Landa to wait for the Italian again.

Wednesday's Stage 17 will give the top contenders for the maglia rosa a bit of a break, but expect plenty of action on Thursday, as the peloton will have to conquer the incredible Monte Ologno. Contador's lead appears safe, but one crash or more mechanical issues could turn this Giro on its head.

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