T16_Aprica_plan
A gruppetto of Cannondale-Garmin riders are warming up behind the team bus - there's a massive uphill start to the stage..!
Simon Geschke leads the first escape with Domont and a Vini Fantini rider...
Ryder Hesjedal arrives with about ten others to begin a more serious escape...
About 25 riders are getting away, but the peloton is just seconds behind...
A smaller version of the same escape has got away and climbs the Passo Tonale with Felline and Hesjedal leading...
Chris Juul-Jensen leads the Tinkoff train in pursuit, although the gap is less than two minutes...
Giro d'Italia - Stage 16
The peloton climbs the Tonale Pass between the snows of the Stelvio and the plunging waters of a nearby torrent..
scenerygiro
Hesjedal has attacked on the climb to Aprica - he's going for a long solo escape tactic with 65-kilometres still to go...
garmintvgiro
Karusha, with Yuri Trofimov in there, has attacked on the long descent to Tirano and is now chasing Hesjedal...
Astana has also attacked on the descent, with Dario Cataldo bringing Aru up to the Katusha-led group - but where's Contador..?!
Hesjedal is about to be caught as the Mortirolo looms on the horizon...
garmingiro
Lagutin and Katusha have swallowed Hesjedal up, and now tow Trofimov and Aru to the foot of the Mortirolo...
An embarassed Contador is being towed by a lone Tinkoff, Roman Kreuziger, almost one-minute back...
Tiralongo and Landa carry Aru on to the Mortirolo...
Contador starts the Mortirolo 50-seconds later - and immediately leaves everyone else behind..!
Contador is flying up the Mortirolo, but at a pace he chooses...
Mikel Landa is towing Aru with Steven Kruijswijk the only left-over from the original escape...
astanaygiro
Contador has latched on to Aru and Landa halfway up the Mortirolo, without barely sweating..!
astanamortirologiro
Kruijswijk has anticipated this and taken off alone, thinking they might let him go...
Carlos Betancur has been left behind by the pace, but he's still in contention about one-minute back...
ag2rgiro
Contador closes in on Kruijswijk with Landa happy to follow him...
magliamortirologiro
Hesjedal is just a few minutes back and fighting on...
Aru has been left alone to fight the Mortirolo and his losses today...
Kruijswijk paces Contador and Landa towards the summit - will they gift the Dutchman a stage-win..?
Kruijswijk, Contador and Aru are almost at the summit and safe from any chasers on the descent...
Damiano Caruso is one of the first chasers to head down the Mortirolo....but he'll lose 3' 16" by the finish
Hesjedal has had one great day out there - he'll take 6th in Aprica and move into 10th overall...
Aru ends the Mortirolo descent - but he'll lose almost three minutes today and fall to 3rd overall..!
astanagiro
Contador has put the Maglia Rosa at the head of the race in the last six-kilometres...
Landa makes the most of Contador's generosity and attackes, leaving Kruijswijk looking dumbfounded behind...
Mikel Landa wins stage sixteen and moves into 2nd place overall..!
Contador lets Kruijswijk take second-place on the stage...