The Giro, my favourite tour of the year is only 2 weeks....

[ScottCM]

Gap is out to 3:42

[ScottCM]

with a gap of 3:51 the breakaway has 10km before the next hill of the day San Pietro which come 55km from the end

[ScottCM]

Average speed after the 3° h. of race: 42,760 Km/h.

[ScottCM]

San Pietro is a climb of 5.3km that peaks at 11 per cent

[ScottCM]

Gap down to 22 sec as they battle up the San Pietro

[Bonus]

The three remaining riders in the break are holding at 16 secs with 51 km to go

[ScottCM]

DS Davide Bramati is in the Etixx team car and spoke to Italian TV: 

"After the break got away, we backed off with the chase. We think it's right we did our bit earlier but now Giant-Alpecin is on the front because it looks like Dumoulin wants to take the jersey back."

"We've got more than Kittle in the team and so we'll see what happens in the finale."

[Bonus]

New breakaway is at 1.13 but being reeled in

[Bonus]

The road book describes the final as so:

The final kilometres are rather bumpy. With 10 km remaining to the finish, the route takes in the very steep Via del Fortino climb (with ramps topping out at 18%), and then drops into Praia on wide and curving roads that pose no real challenge. Beware of two tunnels in the first part of the descent (the least steep).

The home straight is 2,500 m long, on 7.5-m wide asphalt road, just curving slightly 400 m before the finish.

[Bonus]

Break a 32 secs

[Bonus]

2 man off the front of the breakaway, with itself is 30 odd secs ahead of the pink jersey "sprinters group"

[Bonus]

Sorry about the atrocious spelling. I have a head cold :-(

[Bonus]

2 AG2R riders off the front by 34 seconds.

34 km to go.

[tombeej]

Great move by AG2R. Nice and aggressive from the team that normally just follows others wheels. No-one would have expected such an audacious move from them, and so far out.

 

Lovely to see. And I really hope they are rewarded with such positive riding.

 

Go boys!!

[Bonus]

 

The two AG2R riders are Bonnafond and Dupont. Both French.

[Bonus]

Lots of attacks now but 2x AG2R still out front by 38 secs. Back of the peloton is well and truly strung out. Sprinters must be hurting back there . . .