Giro d'Italia 2017: Tom Dumoulin Wins Maiden Grand Tour After Epic Stage 21

Jos van Emden of LottoNL-Jumbo won the final stage of the 2017 Giro d'Italia, while Tom Dumoulin of Team Sunweb completed a sensational comeback during the individual time trial to take the pink jersey in Milan.

Dumoulin started the day in third place but passed Nairo Quintana of Movistar and Thibaut Pinot of FDJ in the general classification. Pinot fell off the podium, with Vincenzo Nibali of Bahrain-Merida adding a third place to his resume.

Here's a look at Sunday's results, via the Inner Ring:

The final Giro standings, per Cyclinghub:

Recap

While most fans were entirely focused on the favourites departing last, several riders put together excellent rides earlier in the day. Van Emden stood out, clocking a fast time―albeit with some help from a team car―to grab the hot seat early.

A lot of the riders didn't put in much of an effort knowing little hinged on the time trial for them. While the bulk of the stage didn't provide drama, everyone knew the finale would make up for it. As shared by the Giro's official Twitter account, the top contenders were closer together than ever before:

The battle for the youngster's classification was on first, with Bob Jungels gaining plenty of time on Adam Yates through the first intermediate. Further back, Dumoulin came through the first split in second place, destroying Ilnur Zakarin's chances of winning in the process.

Pinot lost 25 seconds through the first sector, and Quintana dropped even further, losing 31 seconds.

Cycling writer Mihai Cazacu couldn't contain his nerves:

Jungels won the battle for the youngsters' classification, edging ahead of Yates at the finish line. But all eyes were glued on the race to pink, where Dumoulin put himself in the virtual lead at the second intermediate.

By the time the Dumoulin made it to the finish line, it was clear he would become the first Dutchman to win the Giro. Pinot fell off the podium completely, with Nibali giving the local fans something to cheer about, while Quintana made a few late mistakes and never came close to Dumoulin.