Giro d'Italia Stage 20: Caldes > Passo dello Stelvio, 220kms
The peloton is racing at over 50-kilometres-per-hour towards the Passo Tonale..!
Oliver Zaugg is trying to escape with Roman Kreuziger and two others...
Stef Clement leads another dozen men in a counter-attack...
Navardauskas leads the peloton in pursuit, although Garmin has Vande Velde in the big escape...
Kreuziger leads the big escape away, but their gain is only about four minutes after 80-kilometres of racing...
The compact peloton climbs the steep ascent of the Teglio, about four minutes down...
Zaugg launches himself up the vicious Mortirolo climb ahead of Caruso - the rest of the escape is in tatters...
Zaugg launches himself up the vicious Mortirolo climb ahead of Caruso - the rest of the escape is in tatters...
Vande Velde closes the gap with Serpa on his wheel...
Joachim Rodriguez has attacked at the head of the peloton - Hesjedal is quick to respond...
Hesjedal's group has come together on the bumpy 'road' to the top of the Mortirolo - peace resumes for a while...
Colombia's Sky 'twins', Henao and Uran, seem set for a great day once the road gets better..!
An official car has stalled on the steep ascent, causing havoc for riders like Tiralongo...
Perget takes to cyclo-cross to get around the car and keep momentum...
Pirazzi also goes the cyclo-cross way - it's the only way..!
A BMC rider fights the incline with the car now removed...
Michael Kwiatkowsi needa a hefty push, it's getting tough for the tired riders at the back...
Bernhard Eisel is accompanying Mark Cavendish over 20-minutes later - but these tough guys won't need to walk...
Manuele Boaro is forced to walk, while others ride or run nearby...
Some time later, Mikel Nieve leads a new escape on to the Passo dello Stelvio, also in this group is Thomas DeGendt and Damiano Cunego...
A Canadian fan runs alongside Vande Velde and Hesjedal as the chasing group begins to shrink...
De Gendt chooses his moment to attack Cunego and Nieve - with about 15 uphill kilometres to go..!
Just 15 riders are in touch with the Maglia Roasa group about four minutes down...
The fourteen chasers are dwarfed completely by the Stelvio ascent...
Hesjedal starts to accelerate with 10-kilometres to go - he's now chasing De Gendt as well as trying to drop his rivals...
Basso, Scarponi and Rodriguez look uncomfortable as the Stelvio eats them up...
Hesjedal digs deeper still - De Gendt is pulling away to become a threat, while Rodriguez and Scarponi are still hanging on...
Hesjedal, Scarponi and Rodriguez reach the final three-kilometres...
Scarponi seizes the moment to attack Hesjedal - but in fact he's trying to save his podium place against De Gendt..!
Scarponi's mouth is dry, a sign that his effort might fail...
Hesjedal loses time, but his overall chances of victory are very much alive...
Thomas De Gendt has won stage 20 atop the Passo dello Stelvio - and he's moved into 4th place overall..!
