At least, that’s what any cyclist brave enough to tackle the Dolomites of northern Italy on nothing but the momentum of his pedal stroke would undoubtedly say.
Why?
Because the man who ends up in Milan, Italy in the shortest amount of time dons a highly coveted pink jersey.
We’ve waited an agonizing eight months for the year’s first Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia. While we’ve certainly had plenty of drama within the cycling world during that stretch, nothing tops the grueling nature—21 stages bordering on complete insanity—of one of cycling’s biggest prizes.
The Giro takes riders through the beautiful yet draining terrain of the Italian peninsula, and we’re here to provide you full coverage of the race—from every bead of sweat dripping from the noses of the frontrunners to the struggles of the caboose.
Scroll through the gallery below for a stage-by-stage update of everything going on across the Atlantic.
Stage 21
Cuneo to Torino 1 of 22
Stage Winner: Nikias Arndt
Overall Leader: Vincenzo Nibali
Summary: Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) retained his lead on the historically processional final stage, securing his second Giro d'Italia victory. After battling illness and unfavorable conditions, the Italian took advantage of small opportunities throughout the three weeks of racing to finish in pink.
A fitting end to a dramatic edition of the Giro d'Italia, Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo) crossed the line first from the bunch sprint--only to have it relegated after the race. Race officials reviewed the footage and ruled Nizzolo deviated from his line and cut off Sacha Modolo (Lampre-Merida). Instead, officials awarded the second place finisher, Nikias Arndt (Giant-Alpecin), with the win.
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Cycling EventsStage 20
Guillestre to Sant'Anna di Vinadio 2 of 22
Stage Winner: Rein Taaramae
Overall Leader: Vincenzo Nibali
Summary: One of the shorter stages in this year's race, Stage 20 made up for its distance with plenty of climbing. Cyclists faced 4,100 meters of elevation gain in 134 km--with four climbs in total.
From what looked like a forgettable Giro for Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Stage 20 has almost guaranteed his victory tomorrow. Down 44 seconds to Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) at the beginning of the stage, Nibali and his team set a blistering pace on the Colle della Lombarda--ultimately dropping the Colombian after two attacks.
Rein Taaramae (Katusha) survived in the early breakaway to cross the line first after an impressive day of climbing.
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Cycling EventsStage 19
Pinerolo to Risoul 3 of 22
Stage Winner: Vincenzo Nibalo
Overall Leader: Esteban Chaves
Summary: With snow flanking the peloton as they crested Cima Coppi, Stage 19 resurrected the notorious Giro d'Italia drama.
Maglia Rosa Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNl-Jumbo) faced an onslaught of difficulties before crashing hard into a snow bank during the descent from the Colle dell'Agnello.
With the race leader behind him, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) attacked on the last climb--crossing the line 53 seconds ahead of Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) for the stage win.
Kruijswijk lost almost five minutes after crashing, giving up the lead to Chaves.
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Cycling EventsStage 18
Muggio to Pinerolo 4 of 22
Stage Winner: Matteo Trentin
Overall Leader: Steven Kruijswijk
Summary: Stage 18 marked the longest stage of this year's Giro, and Matteo Trentin (Etixx-QuickStep) made it his own. After losing the breakaway, Trentin narrowed the gap to a few seconds before attacking with 500 meters from the line for the win.
Maglia Rosa Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNl-Jumbo) enjoyed an almost uneventful day--only attacking Vincenzo Nibali on the final ascent to retain his lead.
This is Etixx-QuickStep's fourth stage win in the 2016 Giro d'Italia. The streak extends to five first-time stage winners at the Giro in a row with Trentin's victory.
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Cycling EventsStage 17
Molveno to Cassano d'Adda 5 of 22
Stage Winner: Roger Kluge
Overall Leader: Steven Kruijswijk
Summary: Roger Kluge (IAM Cycling) spoiled the sprint finish by soloing to victory with one kilometer remaining after joining a late attack from Filippo Pozzato (Wilier Triestina-Southeast).
With only one category climb, Stage 17 was a welcomed relief from the previous grueling days in the Dolomites. Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo) took second on the day after winning the bunch sprint.
Interestingly, this was the fourth stage in a row with a first-time stage winner at the Giro d'Italia. Steven Kruijswijk holds a three-minute lead heading into Stage 18.
Kluge will be representing Germany at the Rio Olympics in the Omnium.
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Cycling EventsStage 16
Bressanone Brizen to Andalo 6 of 22
Stage Winner: Alejandro Valverde
Overall Leader: Steven Kruijswijk
Summary: Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) reminded everyone of his form as he took his first Giro d'Italia stage win to move back into podium position. He beat current race leader Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNl-Jumbo) to the line after a mountainous stage full of attacks.
Valverde attacked with 15 kilometers to go, and Kruijswijk was quick to bridge the gap with to-be third place finisher Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha). Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) lost contact and remained with a chase group--losing over a minute on the day.
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Cycling EventsStage 15
Castelrotto to Alpe di Siusi 7 of 22
Stage Winner: Alexander Foliforov
Overall Leader: Steven Kruijswijk
Summary: With a false-flat start and an 8.3 percent average gradient, this 10.8 km uphill individual time trial tested the race favorites and rewarded some unexpected names. The hairpin turns combined with the wide, well-paved roads made for a fast and treacherous course.
Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) lost over two minutes after dropping his chain and changing bikes. Alexander Foliforov (Gazprom-Rusvelo) was the big surprise of the day--he edged out GC leader Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNl-Jumbo) by less than a second to capture his first Giro d'Italia stage win.
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Cycling EventsStage 14
Alpago to Corvara 8 of 22
Stage Winner: Esteban Chaves
Overall Leader: Steven Kruijswijk
Summary: With over 4,700 meters of climbing, cyclists faced a long day in the saddle as they traversed six mountain peaks between Alpago to Corvara. Keeping with the recent Columbian tradition (Nairo Quintana in 2014), Esteban Chaves (ORICA GreenEDGE) took the Queen Stage for his first stage win at the Giro d'Italia.
One of his breakaway companions, Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNl--Jumbo), took the Maglia Rosa for the first time in his sixth appearance at the Giro, and this is his first time leading a Grand Tour.
Race favorite Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) now sits 41 seconds behind Kruijswijk after a tough day in the Dolomites. Valverde (Movistar) cited altitude as the reason for ceding three minutes to the race leaders.
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Cycling EventsStage 13
Palmanova to Cividale Del Friuli 9 of 22
Stage Winner: Mikel Nieve
Overall Leader: Audrey Amador
Summary: As expected, the race's first foray into the high mountains provided plenty of drama as the Maglia Rosa traded hands for the fifth time, and Team Sky finally has reason to celebrate.
After their leader, Mikel Landa, abandoned the race during Stage 10, pundits were already sticking a fork in Team Sky and claiming their Giro a failure. But with Mikel Nieve's solo victory in the Julian Alps—while the team's GC chances are all but done—it's clear the team will remain a major player for stage wins in the mountains.
After the GC group dropped him on the final climb, Andrey Amador (Movistar) slowly made his way back to the main group, finishing with other GC contenders including teammate Alejandro Valverde.
The group finished 43 seconds ahead of race leader Bob Jungels, and Amador will now enter Stage 14 wearing pink with a 26-second cushion.
As the Giro remains in the Alps, it's become a race of mere seconds between favorites Valverde and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), as Nibali's third place finish gave him a four-second time bonus that lifts him ahead of his competitor by two seconds.
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Cycling EventsStage 12
Noale to Bibione 10 of 22
Stage Winner: Andre Greipel
Overall Leader: Bob Jungels
Summary: With Marcel Kittel (Etixx-Quick Step) abandoning the race stages ago, Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) looked like a man among boys in the final kilometer.
The race moved away from the mountains to give GC contenders some much-needed rest, and Greipel followed his Lotto-Soudal lead-out train to pick up his third stage win at this year's Giro.
It was a perfect send-off for the German rider, who will now abandon the Giro to prep for the upcoming Tour de France.
The stage provided no movement in the GC, as poor weather conditions forced race organizers to take all general classification times at the end of the first of two laps of a tricky finishing circuit that included 12 90-degree turns.
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Cycling EventsStage 11
Modena to Asolo 11 of 22
Stage Winner: Diego Ulissi
Overall Leader: Bob Jungels
Summary: As one surprise contender delivers a blow, a previous surprise contender abandons the race.
Another grueling mountain stage with a category four climb claimed the former wearer of the Maglia Rosa, Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin), while propelling unlikely leader Bob Jungels (Etixx-Quick Step) to the status of serious contender.
Andrey Amador (Movistar), who currently sits second in the race for the pink, made the winning move after the final descent, and Jungels, clearly concerned about the mere 24 seconds that separates the two riders, followed. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) were unable to match the acceleration and lost 13 seconds to the current leader.
Italian rider Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida), who was the third rider in the select group, easily won his second stage in a sprint finish.
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Cycling EventsStage 10
Campi Bisenzio to Sestola 12 of 22
Stage Winner: Giulio Ciccone
Overall Leader: Bob Jungels
Summary: A new man in pink and another big name abandons the race.
Today, the steep slopes of the Italian peninsula claimed another big-name rider. This time, it was Mikel Landa (Team Sky) who dropped out after losing more than six minutes during the stage's first climb. Landa, who finished third in last year's Giro, sat in eighth place after an impressive individual time trial two days prior.
Bob Jungels (Ettix-Quickstep), who sat a mere one second behind teammate Gianluca Brambilla for the race lead, becomes the fourth rider to don the Maglia Rosa at this year's Giro.
The 23-year-old from Luxembourg was able to hang with other GC contenders Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) through the stage's torturous climbs.
Valverde, who's no stranger to attacking on the steep slopes, gained four precious seconds on rival Nibali in the stage's final kilometer. But the famed climber still finished a full 2:11 behind stage winner Giulio Ciccone (Bardiani CSF), who climbed alone out of the breakaway during the stage's final ascent.
Valverde now sits two seconds ahead of fellow GC contender Nibali in the overall standings.
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Cycling EventsStage 9
Chianti Classico Stage 13 of 22
Stage Winner: Primoz Roglic
Overall Leader: Gianluca Brambilla
A mere second now separates two men from the race lead. After the race's second time trial, Gianluca Brambilla (Ettix-Quick Step) remains in the Maglia Rosa, albeit on the slimmest of margins over fellow teammate Bob Jungels.
Primoz Roglic (Lotto-Soudal) took advantage of his early start time and won the time trial by 10 seconds over Matthias Brandle (IAM Cycling). Wet conditions caused several crashes as the day went on.
Of the GC contenders, Nibali proved the strongest on the rain-soaked 40km course, gaining a few precious seconds on his principle rivals: Alejandro Valverde and Mikel Landa.
The time trial also marks well-respected rider Fabian Cancellara's (Trek-Segafredo) likely final grand tour stage, as he abandons the Giro after an ongoing battle with a stomach virus.
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Cycling EventsStage 8
Foligno to Arezzo 14 of 22
Stage Winner: Gianluca Brambilla
Overall Leader: Gianluca Brambilla
Summer: After donning the Maglia Rosa for all but one stage, Tom Dumoulin's (Giant-Alpecin) time in pink will come to an end. And this time for good.
GC contenders Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) put Dumoulin's poor legs through hell on the stage's main climb, Alpe di Poti, and both riders now sit ahead of Dumoulin in the general classification.
Local cyclist Gianluca Brambilla (Ettix-Quick Step) claimed the stage victory and the overall race lead after a gutsy solo attack that saw him finish more than three minutes ahead of Dumoulin.
But it wasn't all smiles for Ettix-Quick Step, as Marcel Kittel, who already won two stages and wore the Maglia Rosa for one day, dropped out after Stage 8.
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Cycling EventsStage 7
Sulmona to Foligno 15 of 22
Stage Winner: Andre Greipel
Overall Leader: Tom Dumoulin
Summary: A wavy stage with early climbs led to a flat finish, perfect for sprinters. All they had to do was hold on.
Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) found himself as the best sprinter in the group, after Marcel Kittel (Ettix-Quick Step), who battled back after being dropped earlier in the day, had to switch bikes with 5 km to go.
Greipel dominated the final meters to claim his second stage victory, matching Kittel's total and taking the lead in the points classification.
While the red jersey changes hands, the pink jersey will not. As the race moves to central Italy, Tom Dumoulin (Giant–Alpecin) will don the Maglia Rosa for the sixth time.
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Cycling EventsStage 6
Ponte to Roccaraso (Aremogna) 16 of 22
Stage Winner: Tim Wellens
Overall Leader: Tom Dumoulin
Lotto Soudal picked up its second consecutive team victory as Belgian Tim Wellens finished the mountainous Stage 6 over one minute ahead of the competition.
The day belonged to Tom Dumoulin (Giant – Alpecin), though, who not only held on to the Maglia Rosa, but also extended his lead in the general classification after a surprise attack with three kilometers to go.
Other GC contenders took the opportunity to flex their climbing prowess during the Giro's first mountain stage, but none could match Dumoulin's acceleration near the finish.
If the likes of Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) thought the pink jersey would be theirs for the taking once the race headed to higher altitudes, they were sorely mistaken.
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Cycling EventsStage 5
Praia a Mare to Benevento 17 of 22
Stage Winner: Andre Greipel
Overall Leader: Tom Dumoulin
Summary: Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal), aka the Gorilla, claimed his fourth victory of the year in a practically uncontested sprint finish.
No one was close to matching the power of Greipel, who began his furious sprint 300 meters from the finish. While a late crash disrupted several potential stage winners and their lead-out trains, Greipel left little doubt as to which man had the strongest legs of the day.
Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin) finished safely in the peloton and will begin his fourth stage wearing the Maglia Rosa tomorrow.
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Cycling EventsStage 4
Catanzaro to Praia a Mare 18 of 22
Stage Winner: Diego Ulissi
Overall Leader: Tom Domoulin
Summary: Well, that was quick.
Marcel Kittel's time in pink was short lived as the Maglia Rosa's previous owner, Tom Domoulin (Giant-Alpecin), has reclaimed the coveted jersey.
After a day of rest and travel, the race moved a full 1,400 miles to southern Italy.
Domoulin finished the stage in second place behind Italian Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida), who broke away on the stage's final climb to claim the victory. Meanwhile, Kittel, whose sprinting prowess doesn't translate to the hilly stages, finished well behind.
Diego repeats Domoulin's success in the Netherlands, with a local countryman winning the first stage on his home soil.
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Cycling EventsStage 3
Numegen to Arnhem 19 of 22
Stage Winner: Marcel Kittel
Overall Leader: Marcel Kittel
Summary: Marcel Kittel takes two of three stages in the Netherlands and will don the Maglia Rosa for the race's first foray into the Italian peninsula.
The stage, which ended where yesterday's began, was again the perfect ground for an exciting sprint finish. So, it's no surprise that the man who's proven himself the year's best sprinter—eight stage wins and the overall classification at the Dubai Tour—would again find himself at the front of the group.
"Winning the Maglia Rosa is a great way of finishing these first Dutch days of the Giro," Kittel says. "It dots the 'i's and crosses the 't's in pink for me."
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Cycling EventsStage 2
Arnhem to Numegen 20 of 22
Stage Winner: Marcel Kittel
Overall Leader: Tom Domoulin
Summary: After a disappointing 2015 campaign that saw Marcel Kittel plagued by a virus and miss the Tour de France, Kittel is off to a fast and furious start to 2016.
The stage's flat 190km through the Netherlands provided the perfect setup for a sprint finish. Despite the strong field of sprint specialists, no one had the power to keep up with the 27-year-old German in the mad dash for the finish line.
Despite 10 bonus seconds after his stage win, Kittel remains a mere one second behind former teammate, Tom Domoulin—ensuring the Dutchman will continue to wear the pink jersey before the race heads south to Italy.
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Cycling EventsStage 1
Apeldoorn, Netherlands 21 of 22
Stage Winner: Tom Domoulin
Overall Leader: Tom Domoulin
Summary: The hometown man gets a victory.
After the extravagant team introductions on the bright pink carpet, Dutchman Tom Dumoulin won the Giro's first stage.
Dumoulin, a member of Giant-Alpecin, completed the 9.8 km individual time trial in his hometown of Apeldoorn, Netherlands in a mere 11:03, edging out Primoz Roglic by a fraction of a second.
With the Giro remaining in the Netherlands through the next two stages, it is likely the small but densely populated nation will have a fellow countryman in the prestigious pink until the race moves on to Italy.
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