Giro d'Italia 2016: Stage 20 Winner, Highlights, Updated Standings and Schedule
Rein Taaramae of Katusha took the win in Stage 20 of the 2016 Giro d'Italia, but all eyes were on the general classification, as Astana's Vincenzo Nibali completed his remarkable resurrection to grab the pink jersey.
The Shark of Messina appeared dead and buried ahead of Stage 19, but the Italian rode two fantastic races in the high mountains to pass Esteban Chaves of Orica-GreenEDGE and Steven Kruijswijk of LottoNL-Jumbo. Astana came up with a perfect tactical plan for Saturday's stage, and Nibali executed it brilliantly.
Movistar's Alejandro Valverde passed former maglia rosa Kruiswijk as well, and the Spaniard is likely to finish on the podium in Turin.
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Here's a look at the stage results, courtesy of Sky Sports Cycling:
The current standings:
Recap
The unlikely outcome of Friday's stage, which saw Nibali's resurrection and Kruijswijk lose the maglia rosa due to a crash, meant the time gaps in the classification entering Saturday's stage were minimal, and the top riders still had everything to race for.
Nibali in particular appeared a real threat to Chaves' pink jersey, despite riding a dreadful Giro. The Colle della Lombarda profiled as a climb suited perfectly for the Shark of Messina, another long and winding ascent with a harsh kick in the final kilometres, per VeloViewer:
With the maglia rosa still at stake, the peloton started the day in nervous fashion, and as soon as the flag dropped, Team Sky's Mikel Nieve attacked. So did Nippo-Vini Fantini's Damiano Cunego and Gazprom's Alexander Foliforov, who both had high hopes of winning the mountain classification.
But the biggest shock came when Valverde launched his first attack very early, bridging the gap between peloton and leading group. Astana soon closed the gap to the Spaniard, however, with Orica-GreenEDGE also doing their job in the peloton.
The early break eventually formed without Valverde but with team-mate Giovanni Visconti, as well as Astana's Tanel Kangert. The group was quickly handed a massive lead, as the attention turned to the final battle for the maglia rosa.
Nibali chose to take his time, eyeing the difficult Colle della Lombarda, the last descent and the tricky short climb to the finish line, and Chaves was focused never to leave his wheel.
Movistar pushed the pace ahead of the Colle della Lombarda, hoping to isolate Chaves, and Kruijswijk soon found himself down to a single domestique as well. At the front of the race, Darwin Atapuma of BMC Racing took the spotlight with a handful of attacks.
Nieve took the lead, and he was the first rider to summit the Col de la Bonette. Sporza Wielrennen shared this incredible shot of the riders near the summit, showing just how high the peloton rode:
At the front, Visconti stopped riding, with the GC contenders starting to ride in the peloton, and Astana pushed the pace and immediately caused cracks to develop. Michele Scarponi launched the first attack, allowing Nibali to counter his team-mate, but Chaves and Kruijswijk easily followed.
Scarponi did tons of work for Nibali, but team-mate Kangert, who rode in front of the group, initially didn't fall back when called to. He eventually stopped riding to wait for the favourites, handing the Italian yet another domestique to help his bid.
Nibali's attack came under the flag that indicated there were 15 kilometres left to ride, and Kruijswijk and Bob Jungels of Etixx-Quick-Step couldn't follow. Chaves initially could, but Valverde wouldn't help, and Nibali found a gap.
Valverde tried to bridge the gap, bringing Chaves back, but Nibali found a nice tempo and pushed the gap to 200 metres. The gap was still 150 metres when Nibali picked up Kangert, who immediately took the front and pulled Nibali up the climb.
Per Cycling writer Neal Rogers, the maglia rosa would come down to the final climb:
Cannondale's Rigoberto Uran worked for Chaves, but Kangert was much fresher and helped his leader increase the gap. Nibali didn't have the 44 seconds he needed at the top of the Colle della Lombarda, but the Shark is a phenomenal descender, and there was one climb left.
Valverde dropped Chaves before the summit, and the Colombian finally cracked.
At the front, Taaramae finished solo for the stage win, but all eyes were on the GC contenders. Valverde and Uran didn't ride too far behind Nibali, with the former hoping to pass Kruijswijk in the standings. The Spaniard was successful, and he almost overtook Chaves for second place in the general classification.
Per Cycling News, Nibali never stopped believing a comeback was possible after he struggled during the first two weeks of the Giro:
"I thought maybe everything was lost but also maybe that it still wasn’t over. The last week can change and I thought something could happen.
I’m very headstrong, I never give up. Last year at the Tour I had bad days but I always try and come back.
It was a crazy Giro. A difficult, exhausting one for me. I started as the favourite and felt all the pressure. I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders but I’ve put on this great show, so I’m happy.
"
Sunday's final stage toward Turin is another flat affair that should suit the sprinters, and barring a major crash or unlikely mechanical, there shouldn't be any changes to the general classification.
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