Giro 2017: Nibali bests Landa in two-up sprint, maglia rosa loses time after comfort break

The Queen Stage of the 2017 Giro d'Italia takes in the Mortirolo, Stelvio and Umbrail Pass to finish downhill in Bormio. Dumoulin is forced to chase after a comfort break before the last climb. Nibali attacks in the descent and bests Landa in a two-up sprint. Quintana comes in third, while Dumoulin holds on to pink with a 31 seconds lead. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 16th stage 2017 Giro d’Italia

1. Vincenzo Nibali (ita) s.t.
2. Mikel Landa (spa) s.t.
3. Nairo Quintana (col) + 0.12
4. Domenico Pozzovivo (ita) + 0.24
5. Ilnur Zakarin (rus) + 0.34
6. Davide Formolo (ita) + 1.26
7. Bauke Mollema (nld) + 1.35
8. Bob Jungels (lux) s.t.
9. Adam Yates (gbr) s.t.
10. Thibaut Pinot (fra) s.t.

12. Steven Kruijswijk (nld) s.t.
13. Tom Dumoulin (nld) + 2.18
22. Andrey Amador (crc) + 7.46

GC after 16th stage
1. Tom Dumoulin (nld)
2. Nairo Quintana (col) + 0.31
3. Vincenzo Nibali (ita) + 1.12
4. Thibaut Pinot (fra) + 2.38
5. Ilnur Zakarin (rus) + 2.40
6. Domenico Pozzovivo (ita) + 3.05
7. Bauke Mollema (nld) + 3.49
8. Bob Jungels (lux) + 4.35
9. Steven Kruijswijk (nld) + 6.20
10. Adam Yates (gbr) + 7.00

11. Davide Formolo (ita) + 7.17
12. Andrey Amador (crc) + 11.29
13. Jan Polanc (slo) + 12.13
14. Dario Cataldo (ita) + 13.26
15. Maxime Monfort (bel) + 14.46

Others at 19.02 and more.

Race report
At km 2 Bilbao is the first attacker, yet he is chased down – just like Samoilau, Foliforov and Teklehaimanot a little later. The rhythm remains high and it takes one hour – in which the bunch travels 50.3 kilometres – for the first break to take shape.

Bilbao, Kiryienka and Mohoric force a gap with 22 riders – with among others Quintana’s men Amador and Anacona – crossing over. De Plus and Grosschartner hook up a little later.

On the Mortirolo Omar Fraile, Luis León Sánchez, Mikel Landa, Steven Kruijswijk and others bridge over to the remains of the front group until we have 26 riders at the front. Sánchez is the first to crest ahead of Fraile with the peloton 2 minutes in arrears.

While climbing the Stelvio the front group is reduced to Kruijswijk, Deignan, Amador, Izagirre, Sánchez, Hirt, Antón, Landa and Anacona, still 2 minutes ahead of the main group. Landa is the first rider at the top, Antón second, Sánchez third. They are 2’31” ahead of the main group.

Amador heads out on his own in the downhill. Landa re-joins. Izagirre waits for the group Quintana.

In the valley the other escapees reunite with the two leaders. A few kilometres before the foot of the Umbrail Pass Deignan is dropped, while Kruijswijk attack just before hitting the lowers slopes. Landa and Hirt join him and they hit the climb with 1’40” advantage. In the main group Dumoulin drops because he has to take a dump on the side of the road. He is back on his bike with a 1 minute deficit.

The group Quintana claws back time on the three leaders, Dumoulin’s gap is holding at around 1’20”.

With 5 kilometres to climb Landa goes solo. On the lower slopes Quintana and Nibali accelerate with only Pozzovivo able to react straight away. Zakarin reunites a little later. Dumoulin is losing ground.

Nibali attacks in the last kilometres before the top with Quintana on his wheel. On the top they are 12 seconds down on Landa and more than 2 minutes ahead of Dumoulin. Zakarin and Pozzivivo re-join them just before the drop. The group Pinot is 1 minute down on Nibali et al.

Nibali chases Landa down in the descent, while Quintana is struggling to keep him in his sights. Dumoulin rides a good descent, too, keeping his deficit stable at some 2 minutes.

In Bormio Nibali sticks to the wheel of Landa to outsprint him in the dying metres of the race.

Read about the route of the 16th stage in the 2017 Giro d’Italia