A pictorial look back at the first Grand Tour of 2016, a dramatic edition of the Giro d’Italia.
All photos supplied by RCS, courtesy of ANSA, Claudio Peri, Alessandro Di Meo, Luca Zennaro and Matteo Bazzi.
Big crowds welcomed the Giro d’Italia for the race presentation in AppeldoornMadrina of the Giro Giorgia Palmas poses with the Trofeo Senza Fine at the race presentationThe start of three weeks of racing – a rider heads off on the opening time trial in AppeldoornHome favourite Tom Dumoulin won the time trial, taking the first pink jersey of the raceA fan takes in the action on the second day of the race, from Arnhem to NijmegenEtixx-QuickStep’s Marcel Kittel was dominant in the sprint, easily winning in NijmegenThere was more home success on stage three as LottoNL-Jumbo’s Maarten Tjallingii took the blue mountain jersey after starring in the day’s breakawayWhile Marcel Kittel won once again in Arnhem, the third and final stage held in the NetherlandsUpon the race’s return to Italy in the coastal town of Praia a Mare, Lampre-Merida’s Diego Ulissi won his fifth stage of the GiroSchoolchildren cheer on the peloton on stage fiveWith Kittel gone, it was André Greipel’s turn to dominate, winning in Benevento on stage fivePink jersey Dumoulin rides among the pelotonThe peloton descending on the road to Foligno, stage sevenStage eight’s strade bianche climb of Alpe di Poti. Here, Tom Dumoulin would lose the pink jersey to stage winner Gianluca BrambillaBrambilla soloed to victory in Arezzo, attacking from the breakawayPrimož Roglič of LottoNL-Jumbo surprised everyone to win the wet Chianti time trialItalian singer Francesco Guccini greets the peloton on stage ten to SestolaBardiani-CSF’s neo-pro Giulio Ciccone celebrates with Mario Cipollini after winning stage ten with a late attackBob Jungels became the first Luxembourgish rider to wear pink since Charly Gaul in 1959Trek-Segafredo riders pass a villa on the road to Bibione, stage twelveNippo-Vini Fantini’s Damiano Cunego experienced a mini-renaissance during the Giro, leading the mountains classification for much of the raceThe peloton rides through an well-decorated town on stage thirteen to Cividale del FriuliMikel Nieve won the day while Movistar’s Andrey Amador became the first Costa Rican to ever wear pinkAlejandro Valverde and Vincenzo Nibali ride the mammoth Dolomite stage fourteen. Both would lose major time on the road to CorvaraThe peloton riding the high, scenic DolomitesOrica-GreenEdge’s Esteban Chaves won the day, after he and Steven Kruijswijk dropped Nibali on the Passo ValparolaMeanwhile Kruijswijk took the pink jersey, and a 41 second lead over NibaliNibali was in more trouble on stage fifteen, changing his bike and losing minutes in the Alpe di Siusi mountain time trialGazprom-Rusvelo’s Alexander Foliforov was the surprise victor, edging out Kruijswijk by fractions of a secondMovistar’s Alejandro Valverde won the next stage to Andalo, moving up to third overall at his first-ever Giro as Nibali flounderedRoger Kluge can’t believe his victory on stage seventeen, coming as it did two days after IAM announced the team would fold after 2016. The German held off the peloton with a late attackThe peloton struggle up the steep cobbled Via Principi d’Acaja in Pinerolo on stage eighteenMeanwhile, Etixx-QuickStep continued their great race as Matteo Trentin came from behind to surprise Cannondale’s Moreno MoserStage nineteen saw the race’s big turning point as Kruijwsijk crashed trying to follow Nibali down the Colle d’Agnello
Kruijswijk would end up losing five minutes to stage winner Nibali. He dedicated his victory to a rider from his youth team who was killed a week earlierChaves took pink but lost 53 seconds to Nibali on the day’s final climb. Kruijswijk ended the day 1:05 down
The peloton on the penultimate stage of the Giro, from Guillestre to Sant’Anna di VinadioNibali and his Astana teammates played the stage to perfection. Here, they prepare to mount an assault on Chaves’ 52 second advantageNibali made his move on the Colle della Lombarda, dropping Chaves and eventually taking the race lead in the most dramatic wayThe final podium in Turin. 1st – Nibali, 2nd – Chaves, 3rd – ValverdeSky’s Mikel Nieve won the mountains jersey thanks to his Dolomite breakawaysConsistent finishes from Trek’s Giacomo Nizzolo saw him win the points jersey, though a stage win would still elude him after he was demoted on the final stage due to irregular sprintingJungels was a revelation, taking the young rider’s jersey and finishing sixth overallNibali is hoisted aloft by his team as he clings onto the Trofeo Senza Fine, his for a second time
Daniel Ostanek 