Home > News

2016 Giro d’Italia Stage 21: Nizzolo has treasured victory snatched away, Nibali wins second Giro

Nizzolo secures red jersey, Nibali takes fourth Grand Tour

May 29, 2016
Share on SMS

In as much as this has been a Giro d’Italia of Resurrection, it’s been a Giro of Heartbreak. A half-hour after Italian sprinter Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo) thought he had grabbed his first Grand Tour victory on the final day of the 2016 Giro d’Italia to secure his second consecutive red points jersey, the race jury relegated him. Second place Niklas Arndt (Germany/Giant-Alpecin) was awarded the win. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) took his second Giro title, his stunning comeback giving him his fourth Grand Tour, having victories in all three.

Nibali’s ride for the day was pretty plush.


The red points jersey was still up for grabs, with competition leader Nizzolo leading his compatriots Sacha Modolo (Lampre) by 33-points and Matteo Trentin (Etixx-QuickStep) by 44. There were two intermediate sprints and the finish in Torino where the battle would take place.


It was a rainy start in Cuneo, but at the finish it was absolutely tipping down.


The peloton wasn’t in a rush for the first hour, with 35-km covered. No breakaways flared off. At the first intermediate sprint in Racconigi, the order was Nizzolo, Modolo and Trentin. Jersey secured.

Heading into a damp Torino for the first of eight laps of Torino with 68-km to go, a move scuttled away. Maarten Tjallingi (The Netherlands/LottoNL-Jumbo), member of the first breakaway of the 99th Giro in early May, ripped up the road with teammate and compatriot Jos van Emden.

A quintet of chasers organized on Lap 2, with the sprinters’ teams getting more interested in Lap 3 anticipating the day’s second intermediate sprint at the end of the next lap. The organizers decided to neutralize time in the urban circuits because of how slippery the course was, a move that came just before a crash took down Rigoberto Uran.


With all the second intermediate sprint points going to the Dutchmen out front and the chasers, the sprinters’ team raced with intent in the penultimate lap. Sixth place Bob Jungels (Luxembourg) and fellow pink jersey wearer Gianluca Barmbilla put in powerful turns for Trentin and finally killed off the escape of time trial expert van Emden with 6.7-km to go. When Sonny Colbrelli (Italy/Bardiani-CSF) put in an attack, he hit a spectator taking a picture, crashing heavily.

Giant-Alpecin and Trek were prominent at the front. Lotto-Soudal’s Sean De Bie took off and looked promising before Nippo-Vini Fantini’s Romanian Eduard Grosu overcame him. But Nizzolo was hauling up the left hand side and would not be denied his treasured triumph. The Italian was overcome with emotion as he took what he thought was his first ever Grand Tour win.


And then came word that he had been relegated for drifting across Modolo.


Arndt’s win gave him his first Grand Tour victory, Giant-Alpecin Giro 2016 bookend triumphs and Germany seven stages.
2016 Giro d’Italia Stage 21
1) Niklas Ardnt (Germany/Giant-Alpecin) 3:48:18
2) Matteo Trentin (Italy/Etixx-QuickStep) s.t.
3) Sacha Modolo (Italy/Lampre) s.t.


2016 Giro d’Italia Final GC
1) Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Astana) 86:32:49
2) Esteban Chaves (Colombia/Orica-GreenEdge) +0:52
3) Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Movistar) +1:17
4) Steven Kruijswijk (The Netherlands/LottoNL-Jumbo) +1:50
5) Rafal Majka (Poland/Tinkoff) +4:37
6) Bob Jungels (Luxembourg/Etixx-QuickStep) +8:31
7) Rigoberto Uran (Colombia/Cannondale) +11:47
8) Andrey Amador (Costa Rica/Movistar) +13:21
9) Darwin Atapuma (Colombia/BMC) +14:09
10) Kanstantsin Siutsou (Belarus/Dimension Data) +16:20
72) Hugo Houle (Canada/AG2R) +3:20:38
144) Svein Tuft (Canada/Orica-GreenEdge) +4:43:04