As we head into the final few days of the Giro we're finally getting an idea of who might come out as the overall winner. The stage today was the first of two back-to-back mountain stages. It was obviously too much for the sprinters, as most of them didn't bother to start. There's no more sprints and the points jersey is safely with Cadel Evans. So farewell then, Andre Griepel, Julian Dean and Danilo Hondo. It was also goodbye for Chris Froome, who was kicked out of the race for getting a tow off a motorbike. For the guys still in the race, come the hills, it was the Liquigas duo of Basso and Nibali off up the road with Michele Scarponi.
It was Scarponi who won the stage, but Basso was the big winner in the GC, taking the pink jersey and putting time into his rivals. Scarponi did manage to move himself up into 4th overall, but the effort seemed to have turned him into an old man.
Velogames scores just in...... Bile Beans hanging on, but it's still tight at the top.
Stage 19 will probably be the last opportunity for anyone to challenge Basso. There's a time trial to finish things off on Sunday, but it's pretty short at only 15km, so time differences shouldn't be huge. Tomorrow they're off over the famous Gavia pass. The scene of an epic stage back in 1988, when Andy Hampsten raced through a load of snow to become the first American to win a grand tour.
The weather may be a bit ropey tomorrow, but I hear snow isn't expected - shame. It should be a good day though, even if the sun is out.
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