Stage 19

The road

At the start

The queen stage, and Tre Cime

Primož Roglič took 21 seconds out of João Almeida at Val di Zoldo and is second again, 29 behind Geraint Thomas, Almeida third at 39. Today is the queen stage: 183 kilometres and 5,423 metres of climbing out of Longarone over the Campolongo, the Valparola, the Giau at 9.3 per cent and the Tre Croci, before the road to Tre Cime di Lavaredo rears to eighteen. Only Monte Lussari comes after it.

How it was won

1. 140 km to go

   Passo Giau

   On the brutal 9.3% Giau the break splinters; Verona, Gee and Buitrago accelerate clear over the 2,000-metre summit.

2. 213 km to go

   Tre Croci in the rain

   De Plus turns the screw on the Passo Tre Croci as the rain pelts down, dropping Almeida's key domestique Vine and paring the GC group to eighteen.

3. 32 km to go

   Buitrago's kill

   On the savage 11.7% final ramps of Tre Cime, Buitrago reels in a lone Gee with 1,500 metres left and unleashes a rasping attack he'd clearly been storing up.

4. 41 km to go

   Thomas attacks, Roglič counters

   In the GC group Thomas launches his first attack of the whole Giro and appears to distance Roglič — but the Slovenian surges back to steal three precious seconds on the line.

5. 5At the line

   Tre Cime di Lavaredo

   Santiago Buitrago wins atop the Dolomite giant; Roglič, three seconds gained, edges ever closer to the pink jersey.

The result