Get down off that float Rigoberto

Rigoberto Uran can clamber down off his pink float because this Giro ain’t going to be no procession. We got a strong taste of mountains today and some enjoyed that flavour rather more than the race leader. He didn’t exactly make a lemon face and spit, but nor did he look too keen to dive back in for seconds.

My man Domenico Pozzovivo was again the man to take action, attacking with 4km to go. Nairo Quintana and his sore throat followed and the pair gained 20-odd seconds. In the last few hundred metres, another batch of major contenders also got away, stealing a few seconds themselves.

Uran actually lost a small amount of time to all of his main rivals. The intrigue lies in the fact that bigger mountains now promise bigger losses.

Here’s the top six (because Quintana’s sixth):

1. Rigoberto Uran – 57h52m51s
2. Munchkin Evans – 32s behind
3. Rafal Majka, the young Pole – 1m35s
4. Domenico Pozzovivo – 2m11s
5. Wilco Kelderman, the young Dutchman – 2m33s
6. Perhaps not so sickly Nairo Quintana – 3m4s

The stage win

This all happened a few minutes after Enrico Battaglin crossed the line. He’d been in a large 21-man break, which had also included Nicolas Roche, who could sadly only manage fifth.

Stage 15

Flat, flat, flat, flat, flat, flat, MASSIVE STEEP MOUNTAIN.

205km on some giant billiard table and then 18.6km at 7.8% with the bit near the line at 10%. Here’s the profile.