After a memorable day, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) celebrates his fifth stage win at the Giro d'Italia 2024. The Slovenian won the mountain finish on Monte Pana ahead of Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group-Bardiani CSF - Faizane) and Daniel Felipe Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe). The Colombian from the German racing team thus takes over second place in the overall standings from Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), who lost time to the Bora pro.
"We were happy with the breakaway and held back, but Movistar followed. They rode very fast on the last climb. In the last two kilometres we wanted to control the race. Then Rafal Majka had had enough and wanted us to ride faster and make up time," said Tadej Pogacar, describing his team's tactical approach to the stage in the winner's interview.
Giro d'Italia 2024 - Results: the top 10 of the 16th stage
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 2:49:37
- Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group-Bardiani CSF - Faizane) +0:16
- Daniel Felipe Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe) +0:16
- Christian Scaroni (Astana Qazaqstan Team) +0:31
- Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) +0:33
- Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:38
- Damiano Caruso (Bahrain-Victorious) +0:39
- Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) +0:42
- Ewen Costiou (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +0:42
- Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +0:45
The current standings in the overall standings
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 59:01:09
- Daniel Felipe Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe) +7:18
- Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) +7:40
- Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +8:42
- Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) +10:09
- Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) +10:33
- Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +12:18
- Filippo Zana (Team Jayco-AlUla) +12:43
- One Rubio (Movistar) +13:09
- Jan Hirt (Soudal - Quick Step) +14:07
How the 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia 2024 went
The 16th stage was overshadowed by the weather chaos before the start. After the Stelvio Pass had already been cancelled, the plan was to ride a few kilometres further down over the Umbrail Pass as Cima Coppi (the highest point of the Tour of Italy) at an altitude of 2498 metres. However, due to the bad weather - it was snowing at the starting point in Livigno - this was also cancelled after a long haggle between the riders, organiser RCS and the teams. The riders were taken to the new starting point in Laas in the Adige Valley.
Start in front of a petrol station
The start was originally scheduled for 11:20 a.m. in Livigno. However, it was not until around 2.30 p.m. that the race started in front of a petrol station in Laas, where the riders had gathered. A breakaway group was unable to break away at a horrendous pace on the first downhill kilometres. Marco Frigo (Israel-Premier Tech) rode a few kilometres as a soloist ahead of the peloton, but was caught. A short time later, however, a group of four was more successful: Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal - Quick Step), Davide Ballerini (Astana Qazaqstan Team), Andrea Piccolo (EF Education EasyPost) and Mirco Maestri (Polti-Kometa).
When the road began to climb after around 75 kilometres behind Bolzano, the group quickly flew apart. Alaphilippe dropped his former companions and reached the crest of the Panider saddle in first place. Behind them, Movistar set the pace in the peloton for almost the entire day and kept the gap to Alaphilippe at around one minute on the penultimate climb. However, the Spaniards' tactics did not work. Although Pelayo Sanchez, a Movistar rider, briefly broke away from the peloton, he then dropped back just as quickly with a defect.
Breakaway group caught on the final climb
Instead, there were some counter attacks from the peloton. Giulio Pellizarri (VF Group-Bardiani CSF - Faizane), Ewen Costiou (Arkea-B&B Hotels) and Christian Scaroni (Astana Qazaqstan Team) caught up with Alaphilippe around five kilometres before the finish in Ortisei. The Soudal - Quick Step pro had already exhausted his powder and was quickly left behind. Pellizarri proved to be the strongest rider of the remaining top trio, but already had the field of favourites led by UAE Team Emirates breathing down his neck.
There, Tadej Pogacar attacked on the last steep two kilometres of the 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia 2024 and easily pulled away from his rivals. The Slovenian caught up with Pellizarri and celebrated his fifth stage win in this Tour of Italy.
Martinez outpaces Thomas in the battle for second place
Behind them, the battle for second place flared up. Daniel Felipe Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe) caught Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) on the wrong foot and took 33 seconds off the Briton. As a result, the professional from the Raubling-based racing team is now second in the overall standings ahead of the 17th stage of the Giro d'Italia 2024 on Wednesday. Another one awaits Mountain finish at the Passo del Brocon.
