The Mortirolo reveals Roglic as human, Movistar control Nibali's attack - Analysis
Stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia lacked the Passo Gavia but it included plenty of drama, hard racing in the rain and a further shake-out that exposed Primoz Roglic's weaknesses and confirmed that local hero Vincenzo Nibali has a huge fight on his hands if he wants to break the combined strength of the Movistar and current race leader Richard Carapaz.
The Ecuadorian rider, 25, is leading a Grand Tour for the first time in his career but appears to be rock solid in the maglia rosa. He can also count on the experience of the Movistar team who have been in this situation numerous times during their decades of success and also appear to have the strongest team in the Giro d'Italia.
Carapaz had the support of Mikel Landa and Antonio Pedrero for much of the Mortirolo, with Andrey Amador dropping back from the break of the day to make his own contribution. Only one rider pulls on the final maglia rosa but the strength of a team, its unity and tactics always make a significant difference in Grand Tours.
After the dust settled in Ponte di Legno and riders warmed-up after a cold, hard day in the saddle, the new general classification made everyone at Movistar smile.
Carapaz leads Nibali by 1:47, with Roglic at a more distant 2:09. Behind the top three, there is a fight for the lesser placing and a show of pride. Mikel Landa (Movistar) is fourth at 3:15, Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) is fifth at 5:00, Rafal Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) is sixth at 5:40, Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) is seventh at 6:17 and Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) is eighth at 6:46.
"Every day we can take time on Roglic is very good," Movistar directeur sportif said post-race with a broad Spanish smile.
Nibali has a new rival to focus on
The Mortirolo reveals Roglic is human
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