Giro d'Italia 2016: Stage 18 Results, General Classification and Highlights

Etixx-Quick-Step's Matteo Trentin finished off a lovely team move to grab the win in Stage 18 of the 2016 Giro d'Italia, the last before two days of heavy climbing in the Alps.

He and team-mate Gianluca Brambilla cleverly approached the final sprint, finishing first and third, respectively. LottoNL-Jumbo's Steven Kruijswijk held on to the maglia rosa.

Here's a look at the stage results, courtesy of Sky Sports Cycling:

Here are the current standings:

Recap

Thursday's stage was the longest of this year's Giro and the last before two days in the high mountains, and given the huge time differences in the general classification, it presented the less heralded riders with the perfect opportunity to grab a win.

The Pramartino, a second-category climb close to the finish line, had the potential to be a decisive factor, but the climb wasn't thought to be long or steep enough to bother any of the top riders.

LUK BENIES/Getty Images

A group of 25 riders formed the early break, including Genki Yamamoto and Gianfranco Zilioli of Nippo-Vini Fantini, and with no major threats to Kruijswijk's pink jersey, the peloton gave them a hefty lead.

The bunch spent most of the day listening to the race radio rather than chasing, as a massive batch of snow in the Alps threatened the upcoming stages, per Cycling News' Stephen Farrand.

Photographer Jered Gruber shared this image of one of the mountain roads:

Past the halfway point, the peloton trailed by more than 10 minutes, and Tinkoff's Pavel Brutt launched the first major attack at the front. He was quickly brought back on the short but steep climb of San Maurizio, before Cannondale's Moreno Moser and Brambilla dropped their fellow leaders.

The two worked together to take the lead to 27 seconds, but in the background, Trentin organised the chase and never lost sight of the duo. Brambilla attacked on the final ascent before taking position in Moser's wheel, and he stopped riding when he spotted Trentin giving chase. The Italian caught the two inside the final kilometre and finished the job in the sprint.

Global Cycling Network's Matt Stephens was impressed:

So was Eurosport's Felix Lowe:

Per Cycling News, Brambilla thought he could have finished the job as well:

"

I tell you, I was very good, Very good but Trentin had good legs. I tried to play it and keep Moser a little bit tired to keep him in the front and to try and make the different but I couldn’t keep the difference to get away from him on the climb. I saw a blue jersey coming around so I stopped helping Moser, I just stayed in the wheel and we managed to get the victory. I’m really happy for Matteo.

"

In the background, Movistar's Alejandro Valverde and Astana's Vincenzo Nibali both applied some pressure to Kruijswijk, but the Dutchman countered, and no one put any real effort into their attack.

It's easy to see why. The peloton will face two more tough stages before the final ride to Turin, starting with Friday's ride to Risoul. Along the way, the riders will climb up the Agnello, the highest climb in this year's Giro and a monstrous ascent.

That stage will be followed by another challenging ride on Saturday, providing the snow doesn't lead to cancellations or detours.  

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