Giro 2015: Stage 16 Favourites - Escapees or GC men

Stage 16 features five climbs, evenly distributed over the route. Could be the strongest of the early escapees takes the win home, or else it will be up to the GC men on the closing climb(s). (Slideshow route/profile)

If a GC rider wants to take time and/or move up the overall, he’d better attack while climbing the Mortirolo. The penultimate climb is 12.8 kilometres at 10.1% with peaks at 18%. The final climb probably is not steep enough to make a difference. But who is strong enough to challenge Contador? Most overall contenders – Porte, Uran – are history and in stage 15 Aru wasn’t strong enough.

The recipe for adventurers is simple. An early attack and then see how far their escape takes them. Obviously, the better climbers aboard, the higher the chance they will persevere to the end. Likely candidates to do just so are Kruijswijk, Hesjedal, Landa, Betancur, Van den Broeck, Intxausti and Visconti.

*** Alberto Contador, Steven Kruijswijk, Ryder Hesjedal
** Mikel Landa, Fabio Aru
* Benat Intxausti, Giovanni Visconti, Jurgen Van den Broeck

Look at underneath slideshow for all maps regarding stage 16.