05.29 - Giro d'Italia: Stage 20

A nice day for a bike race - the peloton descends towards the Swiss border at great speed and with great scenery...

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About 20 men are pedalling like crazy to start the day's first escape...

The race turns into Switzerland and the road rises steeply - Daniel Martin is now on the front...

MARTINATTACKGIRO

The peloton is closing in on the escape - so Martin attacks..!

MARTINATTACKGIRO

The best scenery of the Giro so far - and it comes in Switzerland...

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Matthew Lloyd is taking a last chance to win the climber's jersey, if the escape stays clear for a while...

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The peloton is not slowing down on the Forcola di Livigno, they're within a few minutes of the escape that has lost Martin and several others...

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Alexandre Vinokourov has started going across the gap, and no-one is chasing him...

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Ivan Basso looks calm enough in the Liquigas line-out protecting him...

BASSOMAGLIAGIRO

The peloton is heading even higher now - it will go up to 2,315-metres on this first climb of the day...

SCENERYSNOWPELOTONGIRO

The peloton has the escape in its sights amid a very snowy wonderland...

SCENERYSNOWPELOTONGIRO

The escape nears the summit of the snow-packed Forcola di Livigno...

SASTREsnowESCAPEGIRO

There they are - the Liquigas-led peloton finds its way through the banks of snow as well...

SCENERYSNOWPELOTONGIRO

The descent is very fast and very scenic...

SCENERYDESCENDINGGIRO

Lloyd jumps away for climbing on the next climb of the day, the Passo di Eira...

Saxo Bank is working to bring Richie Porte back up to the peloton - the Aussie is suffering his first bad day of the Giro...

Liquigas looks a bit strained as it chases on this steep climb, but they're just one minute back now...

BASSOMAGLIAGIRO

The escape is still in-sight as the peloton climbs the Passo di Foscagno...

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Francesco Pirazzi has jumped away from the escape on the descent towards Bormio...

Vinokourov starts to wind up the pace as the escape heads on to the Passo di Gavia - its lead has jumped to over two minutes...

VINOKOUROVSNOWGAVIAGIRO

David Moncoutie and Gilberto Simoni have taken off from Vino's escape...

Six kilometres to the summit, the escape has just Sastre, Lloyd, Tschopp, Simoni, Pinotti and Vinokourov in it...

SASTRESNOWGAVIAGIRO

Don't look up - this is the escapers view of the last five-kilometres of the Gavia...

SCENERYFANSGAVIAGIRO

Simoni and Tschopp have gone away from the escape with a few kilometres left - Tschopp will attack and take the Cima Coppi award...

Vinokourov is doing all the chase work as his group nears the snowy summit...

VINOKOUROVSNOWGAVIAGIRO

The Basso peloton is also heading for the summit, incredibly there have been no attacks and no accelerations from this group...

SCENERYGAVIAGIRO

Tschopp is away still as the last climb to the finish begins...

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Vinokourov is still chasing - he has Righi and Karpets with him but they're not much help...

Basso looks regal and relaxed as the hardest stage of the Giro nears an end

BASSOMAGLIAGIRO

Vinokourov is finally tiring as he and Righi realise Tschopp might just win the stage..!

VINOKOUROVSNOWGAVIAGIRO

And win he will - Tschopp is within two-kilometres of the Passo Tonale...!

TSCHOPPBBOXESCAPEGIRO

Cadel Evans has suddenly exploded out of the Basso group, gone past Vinokourov, and is now closing in on Tschopp..!

EVANSATTACK GIRO

Scarponi accelerates in pursuit - or is it to drag Basso across..?

SCARPONIATTACK GIRO

Johann Tschopp has won stage twenty atop the Passo Tonale, by over one minute..! Basso stays in Pink...

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