Right. That’s me done for the afternoon. Stay on the site for William Fotheringham’s report and analysis, on a day when that Simon Yates moved another step closer to a magnificent Giro d’Italia triumph. Thanks for your company and emails. Bye.
Here’s our race report:
Simon Yates speaks: “I’m really happy [with the gap on the chasing pack],” he tells Eurosport. “In the first half I had a good rhythm, I wasn’t losing so much time and really trying to hold my position. The final 10k I really died a thousand deaths and thought I’d lose a lot more time, but I didn’t. It really changes my tactics for the coming days. Unfortuantely for fans I can be a lot more defensive, as I have a bigger gap to the guys behind me now. It’s a good gap and I’ll see what I can do.”
Dennis takes to the podium after a stunning stage win – his fourth on grand tours – that has propelled him five places up the overall standings.
So Yates has survived a major examination to put the title within reach. Some tough mountain stages remain but the British rider has risen to every challenge put before him these last couple of weeks, though not all of our readers are convinced:
@tomdaviesE17 I don't get why everyone is saying today's stage is totally make or break - some huge mountain top finishes top come Thurs, Fri and Sat. Yates could easily crack. Has everyone forgotten Cadel Evans at Mapei?
— Thomas Sargent (@nousrembobinons) May 22, 2018
Overall standings
1 Yates (66hrs 39:14)
2 Dumoulin (+0:56)
3 Pozzovivo (+3:11)
4 Froome (+3:50)
5 Pinot (+4:19)
6 Dennis (+5:04)
7 Moreno (+5:37)
8 Armentia (+6:02)
9 Carapaz (+6:07)
10 Bennett (+7:01)
Stage 16 result:
1 Rohan Dennis 40:00; 2 Tony Martin (+14sec); 3 Tom Dumoulin (+22 secs) 4 Van Emden (27) 5 Froome (+35 secs)
Rohan Dennis wins stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia!
Yates has done what he has to, revealing his temperament and nerve, and rides into Rovereto to finish in 41:37, holding on to the Pink Jersey by 56 seconds. The overall title is within reach.
Updated
Dumoulin crosses the line in 40:22, third in the stage! A strong display by the Dutchman by the Dutchman, but it’s almost certainly not enough for pink.
But Dumoulin’s on the charge coming up to the finish …
It doesn’t look as if Dumoulin’s going to rein in Dennis today … the home hope Pozzovivo ends his underwhelming afternoon crossing the line in 30th place
Pinot’s dismal run ends with him crossing the line in 43:19, 61st today, three minutes and 19 seconds off the lead, and his Giro chances are in tatters.
Yates almost misjudges at a sharp corner, going perilously close to the kerb – a tricky moment, but he’s a minute and seven down at the second split, and holding his own, 48 seconds behind Dumoulin at that point. Meanwhile, Carapaz of Ecuador is another leading rider who’s had a poor afternoon, crossing the line at +2.57.
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The flags, roadside interlopers and fancy-dress “banter” merchants are out in force to cheer Dumoulin along his way, but he’s only third in 29:56 at the second split. Yates is looking good though, and shouldn’t be yielding too much ground to his challenger.
Froome has put a real wriggle on in the final part of his run, and crosses the line in 40:35 to move into fourth place on today’s stage. That was one of his best recent performances. The sluggish Pinot, meanwhile, is in 65th place at the second split. He could be out of the top five today
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Yates records a time of 16:05 at the first split, in 16th place at that stage, 38 seconds down on the lead, which should keep him on course for staying in pink tonight. Work to do yet though.
Froome is seventh at the second split, in 30:08, 31 seconds down. So he’s got some work to do in the latter stages. Dumoulin, meanwhile, is only fourth at the first split, 17 seconds off the lead. Pinot and Pozzovivo are both struggling.
Updated
Rohan Dennis takes the stage lead! The Australian, heads down, sprints for the line out on the edge of the road, and overhauls Martin in 40 minutes exactly. Brilliant stuff. And a gauntlet laid down for Dumoulin.
Thibaut Pinot, fourth overall this morning, is having a bit of a shocker, 49th at the first split. This could be ominous for his overall Giro prospects.
Dumoulin looks as confident and sprightly as you’d expect, but he needs two minutes 11 on Yates today to take the overall lead, which on today’s overall evidence looks unlikely. Yates is perched right on the tip of his saddle, not looking enormously physically comfortable, but today’s all about hanging in there for him. Dennis is still storming ahead further towards the finish.
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Yates is off! Meanwhile Rohan Dennis reaches the second split in 29:37, a whole SIX seconds ahead of Martin. The Australian BMC Racing rider is looking mightily impressive.
This is where they stand at the moment in today’s time trial:
1. Tony Martin (Katusha-Alpecin), 40:14
2. Jos Van Emden (LottoNL-Jumbo) + 13s
3. Fabio Aru (UAE Team Emirates) + 23s
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Dumoulin is off! To great roars from the assembled. In front of him, Froome is sixth at the first split, 24 seconds down.
Simon Yates is at the start line, towel on head, going through his exercises, as Domenico Pozzovivo sets off. Only the big two to start now. The conditions look to have become more benign again now, which could be bad news for Tony Martin.
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Fabio Aru meanwhile is driving, straining for the finish line, crossing the line in 40:37 to take third place. That was an excellent ride, and pushes Dowsett down to fourth. But will Dennis maintain his pace and overhaul the lot of them. He’s riding pretty smoothly at the moment. Back in Trento, Pinot and Lopez have set off.
Updated
A challenge! Rohan Dennis records the fastest time of the day at the first split (12.7km) in 15:40, 12 seconds ahead of Van Emden, the previous fastest through that phase. Tony Martin still has the clubhouse lead.
Froome is off and running, appearing to be heartily cheered by the considerable crowds thronging the streets of Trento, not a reception he gets everywhere.
Updated
Aru is still fighting, fourth at the second split, as Chris Froome readies himself on the start line. Another Italian, Diego Ulissi, just fails to dislodge Dowsett from third place by a fraction of a second, but that was a fine run. Jose Goncalves has faded after a bright start, 12th at the second split.
Updated
We’re at the business end now, Rohan Dennis, Patrick Konrad having now set off. Martin is still ahead on this stage. Will he be overhauled by the front-runners in what could be trickier conditions?
Fabio Aru, who’s had a tough Giro, is looking rather sprightlier today, third quickest through the first time-split, and Jose Goncalves is looking good too, though Martin picked up his pace in the later stages. Look out for Diego Ulissi too, third at the second split.
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There’s some rain out there now towards the end of the course, it should be reported, which could add to the intrigue and drama later on and give an advantage to those who’ve already finished. Talking of which, a prediction: “I’m going with Froome,” roars Andrew Benton. “I think he’ll blast a few minutes off the leaders and get right back into contention. It’s only him and the clock today.”
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Chad Haga, Dumoulin’s domestique, finishes strongly to record a time of 40:47 to move into fourth place today, immediately behind Dowsett, with Martin leading and Van Emden second. David de La Cruz is also going well as he approaches the finish. Just another word on some of the earlier action – Ryan Mullen of Ireland looked to be in contention until he appeared to cramp up in the later stages, crossing the line in 41:09.
“Can you recommend staying in the sunny park and suffering not knowing how Yates will go other than through sporadic updates or suffering by going inside and watching it?” asks Philip Smisson. “The park is very nice and sunny.” Sounds like you’ve convinced yourself there Philip, unless you’re a hay fever sufferer.
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No major movements at the top end of today’s leaderboard for a while – Jacques Janse van Rensburg and Davide Ballerini have been ambling along almost beside each other as if out for a leisurely Sunday afternoon ride – so Martin still 13 seconds out in front. A reminder that the top 10 will be setting off from 3pm BST, with Dumoulin going at 3.27pm BST and Yates three minutes later.
“Afternoon Tom.” Afternoon Phil Laing, who brings back memories of my teenage paper round by describing himself as “slowly cycling somewhere near Chingford”. “Alex Dowsett, as an Essex lad, appears on my Strava feed a lot, often riding up hills at twice my speed, on rides that are twice as long as mine, that he’s labelled ‘nice to have a gentle spin now and then.’ Disheartening isn’t the half of it.”
Martin is not to be denied, storming home in 40:14 to lead by 13 seconds – the German hasn’t won a time trial since last June, and he’s never won a stage at the Giro, but he rolled back the years there.
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The Dutch rider Van Emden, a fine time-trialler, nabs the lead from Dowsett powering to the line to finish in 40:27. But how long will that last with Martin on the charge? Dowsett is second, and Vasil Kiryienka third.
Anyway, leader in the early runnings today is the British rider Alex Dowsett, who has just stormed into the lead with an impressive time of 40:40, a whopping 24 seconds faster than today’s previous fastest, Mads Pedersen. But Jos Van Emden, less than 6km from the finish, is going to challenge that lead hard. As is Tony Martin, who at the 25.6km marker is the fastest so far
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Preamble
Afternoon everyone. Sometimes things are simple. And today’s action boils down to one rider against another. One leading, one chasing. One a young-ish outsider, the other a defending champion on familiar ground. Thus is today’s stage set between Simon Yates and Tom Dumoulin. Yates’s sensational performance in winning Sunday’s stage has somewhat upset calculations that Dumoulin’s time-trialling superiority can today wrench him the Pink Jersey, and the British Mitchelton-Scott rider has some time in hand now.
Of course, Yates isn’t much of a time-trialler – it’s somewhat refreshing to hear a top-level sportsman utter the phrase “I’m not very good anyway” – whereas Dumoulin, world individual time trial champion and winner of the opening time trial in the Giro this year, most certainly is. It’ll make for a fascinating conclusion to today’s stage. Elsewhere, Chris Froome is fighting for a place on the podium but he could have his work cut out against the in-form climbers Domenico Pozzovivo and Thibaut Pinot. Today’s stage, a 34.2km schlepp from Trento, south to Roveroto, is largely flat though, despite its Alpine location.
Dumoulin’s dominance today is almost a given but the extent of that dominance will be pivotal. Yates, as the leader, will go last at 3.30pm BST, with Dumoulin off at 3.27pm. Froome goes at 3.12pm, Pinot at 3.21 and Pozzovivo at 3.24pm. We’ll be coming to you live very soon but here’s how they stood in the general classification at the start of the day:
- Simon Yates - 65h 57’ 37”
- Tom Dumoulin - 2’ 11”
- Domenico Pozzovivo - 2’ 28”
- Tibaut Pinot - 2’ 37”
- Miguel Angel Lopez Moreno - 4’ 27”
- Richard Carapaz - 4’ 47”
- Chris Froome - 4’ 52”
Updated
Tom will be here shortly.
