05.23 - Giro d'Italia: Stage 15

Six riders have gone away from the start - led by two Quick-Step riders, Pineau and Rida...

GIROESCAPE

The peloton chases hard at first, so hard that Jan Bakelandts is in trouble at the back - with his bad back..!

GIROBAKELANDTS

Sense prevails on such a long day - the peloton stops for a wee break...

GIROPEE

The slow down allows Bakelandts to make some serious adjustments to ease his back-ache...

GIROBAKELANDTSSTRETCH

Pineau and the others have a fiteen minute lead after 60-kilometres...

GIROESCAPE

Italian fans cheer the Giro peloton while enjoying a roadside lunch, with wine from Friuli...

GIROFANSPICNIC

Liquigas are in control of the chase about 100-kilometres into the stage...

GIROLIQUIGASARROYO

The six escapers encounter the 'wall' of the Passo Duron, with its 18-percent gradient...

GIROESCAPE

David Arroyo is near the front of the peloton as it too hits the Passo Duron...

GIROARROYOMAGLIA

The peloton is in shreds on such a monster, but the fans are loving it..!

GIROCLIMBING

Bradley Wiggins is one of several top contenders off the pace here...

Matthew Lloyd is getting back on the long descent towards the Zoncolan...

GIROLLOYDDESCENDING

The escape is less than two minutes ahead is it heads for the Zoncolan...

Liqiigas leads the way on to the final climb...

GIROzoncolanCLIMBINGLIQUIGAS

Michele Scarponi has split the group of favourites to leave Vinokourov and Nibali out of contention...

GIROBASSOSCARPONICLIMBING

Marco Pinotti is just behind the Scarponi/Basso/Evans trio that has formed...

GIROPINOTTI

Damiano Cunego is in struggling company with John Gadret and Vinokourov...

GIROCUNEGO

Carlos Sastre has also found trouble - he has Richie Porte for company with 8-kilometres to go...

GIROSASTRECLIMBINGZONCOLAN

Cunego isn't enjoying the climb the way he did in 2008, but Vinokourov looks even worse...

GIROCUNEGO

Arroyo is further back down the climb but looking half-decent...

GIROARROYOMAGLIA

Vinokourov's Giro hopes will be over after the Zoncolan has finished with him today...

GIROVINOKOUROV

Basso looks pretty mean as he rides ahead of Evans and Scarponi with six-kilometres left...

GIROBASSOEVANSCLIMBING

Scarpini has gone backwards after an acceleration by Evans and Basso...

GIROBASSOEVANSCLIMBING

Somewhere back there is Daniel Martin, the irish/English climber from Garmin...

GIROMARTINFANS

Scarponi looks awful as the steepest gradient hits him with five-kilometres left...

GIROSCARPONICLIMBING

Sastre has worked his way up the climb quite well - the Spaniard will take 6th on the stage and move up to 4th overall...

Evans and Basso are locked in a nasty duel now - the Giro is at stake on the Zoncolan...

GIROBASSOEVANSCLIMBING

Basso has suddenly moved away with four-kilometres to go...

GIROBASSOattackCLIMBING

Evans is riding at his very limit to restrict his losses today - he'll lose 1'19" to Basso but take 5th overall behind Arroyo...

GIROeffortEVANSCLIMBING

Basso is looking frighteningly strong as he hears the finish...

Martin aproaches the last 500-metres in front of a massive crowd - the Garmin rider will take 9th on the stage at 3'31"...

GIROMARTINFANS

Ivan Basso celebrates his stage-win and the possibility that he can win this Giro d'Italia...

GIROBASSO