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

['Dale]

Cannondale and Lampre trading turns on the front of the break. Lampre want to set up Ulissi for the stage and the overall, while Cannondale want to go for the stage, and keep pressure off Uran back in the peloton.

['Dale]

Visconti drops back to the team car to pick up bottles for his teammates in the break. The gap is coming down though it's at 2'16 with 61km to go.

['Dale]

Everybody is strung out!

 

Both break and peloton

Pain etched everywhere

 

2:30 for the break

['Dale]

Lamprè-Merida is driving the break super hard

Trying to set up their 3rd stage win

 

2:52 to the break

['Dale]

In the valley and Etixx have the peloton strung out as they exit the feedzone. It's all about keeping the break in control at the moment. Movistar and Astana are likely to move up to the front on the next climb, regardless of the gap up ahead.

 

51 kms of lactic acid to go

['Dale]

Uran: "It’s good weather for the first mountain stage. The important thing is to see if we’re feeling good and then we can think about trying something. The last climb suits me quite well but the descent afterwards is quite technical.”

['Dale]

The break's advantage has ballooned

 

3:15!

['Dale]

44 kms to go with two seriaaas speed bumps before a technical downward finalè

['Dale]

Ettix continue to drive hard as the main bunch is still snake-like through the valley floor

['Dale]

Advantage to the break is steady now

43 kms to go

 

All the big GC favorites still chasing with their roleurs protecting them from the wind

['Dale]

The gap moves out to 3'07 as we head into the final 50km of the race. Etixx have been on the front almost the entire stage so far but they look good for their money so far...

['Dale]

A reminder of where we stand coming into the stage today:

 

1 Bob Jungels (Lux) Etixx - Quick-Step 49:32:20

2 Andrey Amador (CRc) Movistar Team 0:00:24

3 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:01:07

4 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo

5 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:01:09

6 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff Team 0:02:01

7 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Team Katusha 0:02:25

8 Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge 0:02:43

9 Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Etixx - Quick-Step 0:02:45

10 Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre - Merida 0:02:47

11 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Cannondale Pro Cycling 0:03:12

12 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team 0:03:39

13 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Trek-Segafredo 0:03:56

['Dale]

The pace.... Very hot

????

['Dale]

Ulissi virtual Maglia Rosa at this stage as he clings on in the break on the penultimate climb

['Dale]

With Astana driving now, the break is being reeled in dramatically

 

About just over 130 secs ahead now

 

36 clicks to go

['Dale]

Astana continues to stretch the peloton

Nibbles sitting 3rd wheel

The other GC favorites playing close attention

 

Don't blink

 

The break will be caught soon after a brace fight, most likely