Stage 15

The road

At the start

Mortirolo, then Livigno

The Garda time trial went to Filippo Ganna and put Geraint Thomas back into second at 3:41, with Daniel Martínez third at 3:56. Today is the one Pogačar himself calls monstrous: 222 kilometres, 5,700 metres of climbing, the Passo del Mortirolo with eighty to go and then the Foscagno and the haul to Livigno at 2,385 metres. Anyone who emptied himself against the clock yesterday finds out here what it cost.

How it was won

1. 1162 km to go

   A 50-man break over San Zeno

   Endless attacks finally coalesce into a monster fifty-rider move by the Colle di San Zeno, Geschke and the KOM hopefuls all desperate to be up the road on the queen stage.

2. 292 km to go

   War on the Mortirolo

   The fearsome Mortirolo tears the break to pieces and shreds the peloton behind, Scaroni and Pellizzari cresting first as the survivors brace for the Alpine finale.

3. 322 km to go

   Steinhauser and Quintana lead

   On the Passo di Foscagno young Steinhauser jumps clear and veteran Quintana sets off alone in pursuit, the last men standing from a long day out front.

4. 414 km to go

   Pogačar detonates on Foscagno

   Out of teammates, Pogačar simply rides away from Thomas and Martínez 14km from home, tearing up the mountain and swallowing the entire breakaway as if it were standing still.

5. 52 km to go

   Past Quintana into Livigno

   Pogačar reels in the lone leader Quintana with two kilometres left and sweeps past with ease on the steep road to Livigno.

6. 6At the line

   A crushing fourth stage win

   Pogačar wins the queen stage alone and stretches his overall lead beyond six and a half minutes — the Giro, already, is his.

The result