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2016 Giro d’Italia Stage 19: Kruijswijk crashes and cracks, redemption for Nibali

Another astonishing stage sees Chaves seize the pink

May 27, 2016
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Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) won Friday’s astonishing and dramatic stage of the Giro d’Italia, saving his race and giving him hope for the race victory. Race leader Steven Kruijswijk (The Netherlands/LottoNL-Jumbo) crashed and then cracked to lose his pink jersey to Esteban Chaves (Colombia/Orica-GreenEdge).

Friday was the first of two final Alp showdowns for the GC men. The highest point of the 99th Giro, the Cima Coppi, came in the middle of the stage on the Colle dell’Agnello, the gateway to France. The riders would then face a long downhill before the final Cat. 1 climb to Risoul.


Breakaway after breakaway failed as the pace was high in the peloton, with 51-km rolled in the first hour. Finally, at the 70-km mark on the long rise leading to the Colle dell’Agnello, 28-riders pulled clear. King of the Mountains leader Damiano Cunego (Italy/Nippo-Vino Fantini) wasn’t accounted for, but his nearest KOM rival Stefan Denifl (Austria/IAM Cycling) was. Sky put four riders in the break and Movistar three. In short order the fugitive gang had a 4:30 gap.

Double stage winner Diego Ullisi (Italy/Lampre), Michele Scarponi (Italy/Astana) and Egor Silin (Russia/Katusha) were interested in the Cima Coppi prize, separating themselves on the steeper part of the climb, before Scarponi went solo.

After letting LottoNL-Jumbo pull the peloton for most of the stage, Orica-GreenEdge came to the front and cranked up the speed. A torrid pace from Amets Txurruka shed all of Kruijswijk’s men and several GC men. Then it was just the same podium trio that rode together on Stage 16: Kruijswijk, Chaves and Alejandro Valverde.

Nibali, Ilnur Zakarin and Rafal Majka caught up, and then several others swelled the group. Their breath was visible in the cold. The Dutchman met the Colombian’s surges, but Valverde was found wanting. Nibali was 1:20 behind Valverde for the final podium position, so he went to the front and drove the pace.

Scarponi tipped over the Cima Coppi 1:26 ahead of his closest chaser and then prepared for the 43-km descent. Nibali, Kruijswijk and Chaves crested 1:03 ahead of Valverde. Kruijswick crashed into the snow-wall almost immediately.


Everyone was soon dropping off the Colle dell’Agnello in the French sunshine. Chaves got a teammate in the form of Ruben Plaza. Zakarin’s crash was far worse than the pink jersey’s. The fifth-place Russian’s Giro was over.

Scarponi, who was descending gently, found Maxime Monfort (Belgium/Lotto-Soudal) at his side. With 35-km to go, Chaves and Nibali had 1:35 on Kruijswijk, and Scarponi waited for them, with Monfort carrying on alone.

The Chaves/Nibali group grew considerably, both with teammates, as Kruijswijk had to labour behind. Monfort hit the foot of the final climb to Risoul, 12.9-km of 6.9%, with 1:20 over this group.

Chaves and Nibali’s aspirations doomed Monfort’s stage ambitions, the duo nabbing the veteran Belgian with 10.5-km to go. Kruijswijk was 2:19 in arrears. Nibali made a dig with 9-km to go and Chaves and Mikel Nieve (Spain/SKy) were able to respond. Kruijswijk was left behind as Bob Jungels (Luxembourg/Etixx-QuickStep) whipped up the pace in the chase.

With 7-km to go Chaves took over the virtual pink jersey from the flagging Dutchman. An attack from Nibali couldn’t shed Chaves, but another dig with 5-km remaining unlatched the Colombian. Meanwhile, Kruijswijk was still fighting.

The final 2-km were the hardest, at 8.2%. Nibali had 28-seconds on Chaves, 2:00 on Valverde and 3:30 on Kruijswijk when he hit the last two-kilometres. Nibali was exhausted but exultant after he crossed the line. Chaves came in 51-seconds behind. The pink jersey finished +4:34 and now sits third.

Canadian Hugo Houle was 28th on the stage, moving him up to 69th in GC from 84th.

Second place Nibali is 44-seconds behind Chaves, a tremendous accomplishment for a rider who was +4:43 at the beginning of the day. The situation sets up a grand finale Saturday. Valverde, perhaps sensing weakness in Kruijswijk, will try to steal the last podium spot from the man 43-seconds ahead of him as well.


Saturday’s stage is a brute. It will all be left on the road.

The final showdown in the Alps.
The final showdown in the Alps.

2016 Giro d’Italia Stage 19
1) Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) 4:19:54
2) Mikel Nieve (Spain/Sky) +0:51
3) Esteban Chaves (Colombia/Orica-GreenEdge) +0:53
28) Hugo Houle (Canada/AG2R) +9:05

2016 Giro d’Italia GC
1) Esteban Chaves (Colombia/Orica-GreenEdge) 78:14:20
2) Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) +0:44
3) Steven Kruijswijk (The Netherlands/LottoNL-Jumbo) +1:05
69) Hugo Houle (Canada/AG2R) +2:43:00

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