Stage 20

The road

At the start

The last mountains, into Switzerland

One climbing day left, and Simon Yates has hauled himself to within twenty seconds of second place: Caruso at 2:29, Yates at 2:49, Bernal still in pink and still without a bad day. Today the race leaves Verbania, crosses into Switzerland and stacks 4,200 metres of climbing into its second half — the San Bernardino, then the Spluga — before a first finish at the Alpe Motta.

How it was won

1. 158 km to go

   The break stirs on the San Bernardino

   Vervaeke attacks with Großschartner and picks up Albanese, Visconti and Pellaud on the way up. DSM take control behind and the leaders' cushion falls under a minute by the summit.

2. 229 km to go

   Caruso and Bardet go up the road

   DSM press on over the top and Caruso goes with them, Bilbao and Storer setting a tempo only their own leaders can follow. The gap stretches towards a minute and Ineos are down to three men — Castroviejo and Martínez, and Bernal.

3. 39 km to go

   Martínez takes over

   On the last climb Castroviejo finally swings off and Martínez climbs fast enough to reduce the maglia rosa group to five — Bernal, Yates, Vlasov, Carthy and Almeida — while refusing to let the leaders gain another second.

4. 42 km to go

   Caruso alone

   Two kilometres from the summit the Sicilian drops Bardet and rides for the biggest win of a career spent working for other people. His lead over Martínez and Bernal is a precarious twenty seconds and he does not look back once.

5. 5At the line

   Alpe Motta

   Caruso wins by 24 seconds — not enough to take the Giro, more than enough to secure second overall. Bernal takes the pink jersey into Milan.

The result