Giro d'Italia Stage 20: Verbania > Sestriere, 242kms

Thirteen men are away after an hour's fast racing, led by Popovych and Kiryienka...

AG2R are the keenest at chasing the escape - there's a gap of 12-minutes to close at the halfway point of the stage...

The Giro is passing the rice-fields near Vercelli on its way towards the Alps...

Saxo Bank is also helping in the chase - but the lead is coming down very slowly...

More rice, and a view back to Monte Rosa..!

The escape reaches Turin to complete the Giro's very full lap of Italy - but there's still 80-kilometres today and one more stage to come tomorrow..!

Phillip Deignan loads up with water bottles for Radio Shack...

GIROWORKSHACK

Dario Cioni loads up for Team Sky...

GIROWORKSKY

David Millar loads up for Team Garmin...

GIROGARMINWORK

The Giro is haeding into the Italian Alps for its final showdown in the mountains...

Liquigas is chasing hard now, they want a stage-win for Vincenzo Nibali...

All thirteen escapers have got to the base of the Colle di Finestre as one group, but now it starts to hurt...

Sylvester Szmyd leads the Maglia Rosa group - but there are barely a dozen riders still in it...

Peter Stetina is back in a smaller group but fighting hard...

GIROFINISTRE

Thomas Lovkvist is further back still - he'll be glad to finish the Giro tomorrow...

GIROFINISTRESKY

Jose Rujano has gone away from Contador's group and is chasing Kiryienka who has dropped all the other escapers...

GIROFINISTRE

Christian Salerno leads the Maglia Rosa group that has just dropped Sastre and will soon drop Nibali too..!

GIROFINISTRE

The Giro climbs the Colle di Finestre with the French Alps as a backdrop...

GIROFINISTRE

Rujano is working his way up the climb, but he won't catch Kiryienka...

Michele Scarponi leads Contador, but neither man looks too interested in making a fight of it today...

GIROFINISTRE

Alberto Contador watches his rivals on the Colle di Finestre - he's relaxed enough to also watch the stunning scenery..!

GIROFINISTRE

Nibali has been dropped with less than two-kilomtres to climb, but he'll return on the descent...

GIROFINISTRE

Thousands of spectators are enjoying the Giro on the summit of the Colle di Finestre...

Kiryienka is heading for a brilliant stage-win in Sestriere - he'll beat Rujano by 4' 43" and Contador by almost six minutes..!

John Gadret has taken off from the Contador group - not that they seem to care..!

GIRO

Joachim Rodriguez is also trying to make up time...

Roman Kreuziger does the chasing ahead of Nibali, Contador , Scarponi and Kruijswijk

Vasili Kiryienka enjoys his fine win at Sestriere, probably his finest win ever..!