Giro 2014: Stage 16 Favourites: Huge climbs could lead to huge time gaps

The Gavia, Stelvio and Martello, it's safe the riders don't get much time to shake the rest day cobwebs off. This one could be a belter and time gaps could be very significant. Sprinters will be just hoping to make the cut.... (Slideshow route/profile)

This is the stage that was supposed to feature in the 2013 Giro but was cancelled due to heavy snowfall. This winter has been tropical in comparison so there’s no escape for the riders today.

With three long mountain passes, it will be interesting to see how Cadel Evans performs. He is a good at short, sharp, steep climbs but he did not impress in the high mountains in the 2013 Giro. Advantage Quintana and Uran (image)? Only time will tell but if Quintana arrives in the same sort of form that he displayed in the final week of the 2013 Tour de France, then he might ride away with this one. The young Columbian has shown signs of improvement in the recent mountain stages and if he’s going to make a bid to win this Giro, today seems a good day to start.

Pink jersey Uran is more difficut to read. He is clearly not the strongest climber in the race but all he needs to do is to try hang in there with the likes of Majka, Aru and Pozzovivo.

Another who has tried and failed so far in this year’s Giro is Pierre Rolland. Maybe today is the day he gets the reward from his constant atacks.

Expect a large breakaway today that ends up fragmented as riders tire. It’s possible a strong man could also survive and take a stage win if the peloton gives them a lot of leash early on in the stage.