Giro d'Italia 2019 - Giulio Ciccone wins sodden Stage 16 as Primoz Roglic suffers on the Mortirolo

ByFelix Lowe

Updated 28/05/2019 at 16:37 GMT

Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic dropped to third in the overall standings after a trademark Vincenzo Nibali attack on the rain-soaked Mortirolo as Italy’s Giulio Ciccone won Stage 16 and extended his vice-like grip on the blue jersey.

Trek-Segafredo’s Ciccone capped a fine day out in the break by beating fellow escapee Jan Hirt (Astana) in a sodden sprint in Ponte di Legano after crossing every summit of the mountainous 194km stage in pole position.

Watch Ciccone outsprint Hirt to take deserved stage win

But all eyes were on the big favourites as the battle for pink intensified with a huge Shark attack on the Mortirolo, the Italian two-time champion NIbali (Bahrain Merida) riding clear of his rivals to pile the pressure on Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) and Britain’s Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott).

Giro d'Italia

Re-Cycle: Andy Hampsten defies Gavia snow storm to take pink in 1988

16/04/2020 at 11:19

Movistar duo Richard Carapaz and Mikel Landa kept their cool before riding back into contention with Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) ahead of the summit of the climb - billed by many as the hardest in professional cycling.

Nibali eventually led home a select group 1’41” down on the stage winner and 20-odd seconds behind third place Fausto Masnada (Androni Giacattoli).

Roglic and Yates crossed the line in a beleagured chase group alongside Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek Segafredo) just over three minutes in arrears.

Nibali, the 2013 and 2016 champion, moves up to second place in the standings but stays 1’47” behind Ecuador’s Carapaz, who kept calm and rode a steady race alongside Spanish teammate Landa. Suddenly, those imperious time trial wins seem an age away.

Roglic, from whom the momentum seems to be slipping away, drops to third place, 2’09” down on Carapaz and level on time with fourth-place Landa.

Colombian Lopez was tailed off by the Nibali group towards the finish but rose above Yates and Russia’s Pavel Sivakov (Team Ineos) to seventh place and back into the white jersey.

It was 24-year-old Ciccone’s second stage win on the Giro following his maiden scalp in 2016. Having discarded his rain jacket going over the summit of the Mortirolo, the Italian had to brave the cold conditions on the descent - as well as some gamesmanship from Hirt.

With his Astana teammate Lopez on the attack behind, Hirt refused to help the shivering Ciccone on the approach to the finish. But the Italian had the better kick and made light work of his Czech opponent in the finish, tossing away his sunglasses in rapturous celebration before crossing the line to the delight of the tifosi.

Ciccone added a maximum 58 points to his blue jersey haul to move more than 160 points clear of his nearest rival, the double stage winner Carapaz.

Stage 16: Lovere to Ponte di Legno - live analysis and standings

A break of 21 riders formed on the first of two uncategorised climbs that warmed up the riders’ legs ahead of their rendez-vous with one of the most feared and revered climbs in the sport.

Astana placed three riders in this move in Hirt, Davide Villella and Stage 7 winner Pello Bilbao, while Bahrain Merida had two in Antonio Nibali and the irrepressible Damiano Caruso, as did Mitchelton Scott through Mikel Nieve and Chris Juul-Jensen.

Movistar had the Costa Rican livewire Andrey Amador as a potential bridge for their two GC men, while Jumbo-Visma had placed Koen Bouwman in the move, which built up a maximum lead of over five minutes.

Behind, the remaining seven Movistar riders - including pink jersey Carapaz - were all on the front and controlling the pace of the peloton.

Italy’s Ciccone jousted with Androni Giocattoli pair Masnada and Mattia Cattaneo for the KOM points going over the two climbs which had been brought in to replace the Passo di Gavia, which had been ruled out owing to a snow blockage on the summit.

Ciccone extended his lead in the maglia azzurra standings over the Cevo and Aprica climbs, the break completing the descent ahead of the fearsome Mortirolo with over five minutes to play with.

There was two flash-points on the descent delivered by opposing Spaniards: veteran Fran Ventoso (CCC Team) edging clear of the break to build up a small lead, and Movistar’s Antonio Pedrero skidding out on the tight corner just behind teammate Carapaz.

Ventoso was caught by the time the break passed though the intermediate sprint preceding the showpiece climb, which the peloton hit trailing the break by 5’30”.

Veteran Ventoso starred again minutes later after handing a spare water bottle to Nibali after the Italian powered past on the climb.

Nibali had ridden clear of his GC rivals after putting on a stinging attack on the double-digit early slopes of the Mortirolo with around 35km remaining.

The attack saw Roglic, Yates and Lopez instantly dropped - although the Colombian would later rally before returning onto the wheels of Carapaz and Landa, who kept their collective calm under the pressure of Nibali, allowing themselves to continue at the pace being set by Pedrero.

Up ahead, Hirt had ridden clear with Ciccone, Caruso, Masnada and Nieve in pursuit. As the rain started to pound down, Ciccone and Hirt edged ahead while Caruso and Nieve dropped back to prepare themselves for their returning teammates.

This was a theme of the stage with Caruso supplying pacing support to teammate Nibali, Bilbao doing the same for Lopez, and Nieve eventually linking up with Yates after the climb.

It was Ciccone who crested the summit in pole position after making a hash of putting on a rain jacket, the young Italian eventually resorting to toss it aside and opt for the old-school trick of stuffing some newspaper down the front of his jersey.

Nibali was caught by the chasing Movistar duo while Lopez got a second wind on linking up with Bilbao, the Astana pair riding clear near the summit.

The descent was a hairy affair, with puddles and slippery corners amid a pervading sense of gloom as mist gathered in the dark and dank sections of narrow, twisting road enshrouded by the gloom of the overhead pine trees.

Roglic, Yates and Mollema closed the gap to under a minute on the descent but suffered on the final 10km uphill rise to the finish when the Nibali group combined well in their collective interest to put time between them and the under-fire Slovenian.

Ciccone and his Trek manager took issue with Hirt’s refusal to help drive the leading duo’s pace on the approach to the finish, Hirt clearly caught in two worlds as to whether he should wait for Lopez.

Hirt and Ciccone argue over breakaway tactics

But once Lopez and Bilbao were caught by the Nibali group, Hirt switched his focus onto a maiden Grand Tour stage win. But in vain.

Despite looking on the edge of hypothermia, Ciccone had too much in the final sprint and powered clear to a second career win on the Giro - capping an outstanding day after his blue jersey haul.

Engels - What can you say to Roglic when he's struggling like that?

Masnada took third place before Nibali led the chasers home 22 seconds clear of Lopez, who was distanced towards the finish. The Yates and Roglic group arrived another minute later to draw a line under another sorry day in the saddle for the Slovenian.

The Giro continues on Wednesday with the 181km Stage 17 from Commezzadura to Anterselva. With rolling roads and three lower-category climbs - including the punchy rise to the finish - this is ideal breakaway territory. It will also provide, no doubt, ample scope for a GC ambush; the pink jersey Carapaz will be on red alert.

Giro d'Italia

Re-Cycle: Fausto Coppi's majestic ride from Cuneo to Pinerolo in 1949 Giro d'Italia

09/09/2021 at 15:30

Giro d'Italia

Dumoulin abandons Giro due to injury

20/06/2019 at 17:39