Giro d'Italia 2017: Stage 21

Welcome to live coverage of the final stage of the Giro d'Italia, a 29.3km time trial from the Monza circuit to Milan

Giro d'Italia hub

Stage 20 report: Pinot wins as GC goes to final showdown

Forum discussion

Preview: Can Dumoulin hold his nerve and win the Giro d’Italia?

2017 Giro d'Italia stage 21 time trial start times

Giro d'Italia: Friendship brings benefits for Dumoulin in the mountains

Quintana: 'My lead is not a lot but it could be enough'

Welcome! Three weeks of racing has been building to this, the final time trial stage from Monza to Milan. As many as five riders have a chance to take the maglia rosa today and we could see all the podium positions change at the end of the day so it's going to be an exciting ride this afternoon.

The first rider Giuseppi Fonzi will be off in just under 10 minutes. The riders will depart every minute until the final 15 where there will be three minutes between each rider. You can find the full time trial start list here. 

Less than two minutes separate the top six going into this final stage. There has never been a Giro d'Italia as closely fought. This is how the standings look this morning. 

1 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 90:00:38
2 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida 0:00:39
3 Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ 0:00:43
4 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Sunweb 0:00:53
5 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin 0:01:15
6 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:30
7 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:03:03
8 Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-Scott 0:06:50
9 Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick-Step Floors 0:07:18
10 Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac 0:12:55

We've got a Twitter poll going at the moment on who you think will win the Giro d'Italia. You can place your vote here. You can also tweet us direct to let you know any other thoughts you have on today's stage of the Giro d'Italia as a whole. 

We're under starters orders now and Fonzi has kick started the final stage of the Giro d'Italia. 

Statistics say that Tom Dumoulin will need at least 1.8 seconds per kilometre on Nairo Quintana over today's course. It's a fast route but after three weeks of racing, that is much easier said than done. Our reporter on the ground Stephen Farrand has put together a detailed preview of today's action. Fill yourself in on all the possibilities here. 

We're 11 riders in now. Marcin Bialobaloki is out on course. He could be a potential contender on a route such as this.

Bialobloki has already passed Fonzi. That's not really much of a measure of how well he is going but he'll be the first rider to post a time. Could it be the fastest when Nairo Quintana comes across the line in a few hours?

@Cycling_Crazy Sun, 28th May 2017 11:50:37

There are two classifications that have already be decided, provided that both the riders finish today. Mikel Landa has bounced back from a difficult end to the first week to win the mountains classification along with a stage win. 

1 Mikel Landa (Spa) Team Sky 224 pts
2 Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Astana Pro Team 118
3 Omar Fraile (Spa) Dimension Data 104
4 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 70
5 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Cannondale-Drapac 70
6 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin 66
7 Igor Anton (Spa) Dimension Data 56
8 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Sunweb 55
9 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 54
10 Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ 53

Fernando Gaviria is the other rider who is almost certain to walk away with a classification jersey at the end of today. The Colombian has dominated the points classification, taking four victories in his first ever Grand Tour. 

1 Fernando Gaviria (Col) Quick-Step Floors 325 pts
2 Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo 192
3 Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe 117
4 Daniel Teklehaimanot (Eri) Dimension Data 100
5 Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 98
6 Pavel Brutt (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo 76
7 Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) Dimension Data 76
8 Eugert Zhupa (Alb) Wilier Triestina 70
9 Roberto Ferrari (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 70
10 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Sunweb 68

@OricaScott Sun, 28th May 2017 12:04:21

Manuel Quinziato will be off in a few minutes. He is another rider who could be in contention for the stage win at the end of the day. 

It's not just the maglia rosa that is up for grabs today. The young rider's jersey could swap hands after today's stage with Adam Yates leading Bob Jungels by just 28 seconds. Read what the two contenders had to say about their chances here. 

@dougryd Sun, 28th May 2017 12:08:41

Svein Tuft goes through the second check. He's just seven seconds behind Bialobloki, who stopped the clock at 20:55 at the 17.4km point. 

Lots of riders are taking it fairly easy today. They know that they can gain nothing from the stage other than a recorded finish in the Giro d'Italia so there is no point in pushing too hard. They just have to make sure they don't miss the time cut. 

Mads Pederson is not one of those taking it easy. The Danish rider has gone 26 seconds quicker than Bialobloki at the first check. Can he keep the pace up?

Bialobloki comes across the line and finishes with a time of 34:12. Let's see how long that stands. 

Ilnur Zakarin was on for a podium finish in last year's Giro d'Italia until he crashed heavily on the Colle dell'Agnello. This season, he made it through the mountains and if he can pull out a good time trial - which he has been known to do - he could put himself onto the podium this year, provided he stays on his bike. Read what Zakarin had to say after yesterday's stage, here. 

Fonzi crosses the line waving to the crowd and secures his place at the bottom of the standings, earning him the maglia nera. It's no longer an official prize, but riders still like the honour of that placing, much like the lantern rouge in the Tour de France, where finishing the race is an achievement in itself. 

Riders in the waiting zone at the start of today's stage. 

Mads Pedersen is still going great guns at the moment. His advantage has dropped to 19 seconds over Bialobloki at the second check but he could be our new fastest rider when he hits the line in Milan. 

Lukas Pöstlberger has just started, the 47th rider to set off. We're almost a third of the way through and we will have the big favourites out on the road in no time. 

Manuel Quinziato was second at the first split be he is now five seconds quicker than Pedersen at the second check. 

Eugenio Alafaci also enjoying himself on the run to the finish line. He's probably happy just to still be in the race after he threw a bottle at Rory Sutherland on stage 19. 

Pedersen crosses the line in fourth place at the moment. He must have gone out too hard on that opening stretch as he lost some time in the final section. 

@CafeRoubaix Sun, 28th May 2017 12:40:09

The Giro organisers have had a rethink of the finishing times and they now put Pedersen equal on time with Bialobloki at 33:12.

But hang on, Manuel Quinziato has had a strong finish to his Giro d'Italia. He stops the clock at 33:35 to go 37 seconds quicker than Pedersen and Bialobloki. What a ride by the Italian champion. 

That is Quinziato's final ever Giro d'Italia done and dusted as he confirmed that he will retire at the end of the season. It may well be his final ride in the Italian national champions jersey. The jersey will be up for grabs, like many others in Europe, at the end of June. 

Further back on the course, Jos van Emden is going well. He went under the 10-minute mark at the first check. He finished eighth in the last time trial and will be hoping for more. 

Manuel Qiunziato had this to say at the finish line. 

"Honestly, it’s my last Giro and one of my goals and the main reason I rode the Giro d’Italia was because I could wear the Italian jersey in the TT in Milan and I really gave it everything I had left. I thnk I did a performance where I can’t regret anything. There are a lot of strong competitors so let’s see what happens.

"It was special. This morning, my wife and kid was at the start and we took a couple of pictures with me because we wanted him to remember his daddy when he was a bike rider."

A strong ride from Jan Barta to go into second place at the moment. Quinziato still comfortably in the lead. 

Jos van Emden still flying at the moment. At the second check, he is 28 seconds quicker than Quinziato. We've seen plenty of riders slow in this third section, can Van Emden hold it to the finish?

@TrekSegafredo Sun, 28th May 2017 12:55:26

Jos van Emden crosses the line and smashes the current fastest time, he stops the clock at 33:08. That's 27 seconds quicker than Quinziato. He will be happy with that. 

Thibaut Pinot had a tricky middle week of the Giro d'Italia but it has come good for him in the final week, winning yesterday's stage. He's moved back onto the podium and if he can improve on the TT he did last week then he could move into at least second at the end of the day. Read what he said after his victory yesterday. 

Our Twitter poll has ended and the results have been counted. A huge 72 per cent of you think that Tom Dumoulin will be in the maglia rosa at the end of today. 

Nairo Quintana has just 11 per cent of the vote while Thibaut Pinot is just behind him with 10. Only seven per cent of you think that Vincenzo Nibali will win.

Do you agree? Let me know your thoughts on the competition for the overall classification on @SadhbhOS

Here was Jos van Emden crossing the line a little earlier. 

Daniel Teklehaimanot is nowhere near the fastest rider out on course but as he crosses the line he gets the biggest cheer from the crowd. The Eritrean fans really give the Italian tifosi a run for their money. I remember the Tour de France last year where the fans almost stormed the team bus after one stage. 

Former time trial champion Vasil Kiryienka is going well as he goes seconds quickest, 26 seconds back, at the second check. This is not a course that suits Kiryienka. He would prefer a route with a few more lumps and bumps. The last TT was much better for him but he crashed when he misjudged a corner. 

Kiryienka drives to the line. He's not quite quick enough to put him ahead of Jos van Emden. He goes third fastest with a time of 33:39. 

With Kiryienka's time, this is the top 5 at the finish as it stands. 

1 Jos van Emden (LottoNL-Jumbo) 33:08
2 Manuel Quinzato (BMC) +0.27
3 Vasil Kiryienka (Sky) +0.31
4 Jan Barta (Bora-hansgrohe) +0:39
5 Jan Tratnik (CCC) +0:57

More than 100 riders on the course, we're getting to the pointy end of this TT. 

Away from the racing, it is a year since Stig Broeckx was hit by a motorbike during the Belgium Tour. Loic Chetout was the first rider on the scene and helped Broeckx until the medical staff arrived. He spoke to Belgian television about the moment earlier this week. Read what he had to say here. 

Nobody can get near Van Emden at the moment. Can he keep this until the finish? It could well be his compatriot Tom Dumoulin that has the best chance of beating him. 

Adam Hansen crashed last week and suffered a suspected hairline fracture in his hand. Despite that, he's managed to finish and keep his Grand Tour run. Here's what told television reporters at the finish. 

"It's always nice to make it to Milan. It’s the last stage of the Grand Tour and I’m happy. We had a very up and down Grand Tour. Last year we won four stages and this year we won only one. It was good to have Andre in pink and have a stage win with him. Maxime Monfort also did well. We finished with five, so it shows how tough this Giro d’Italia was so it was good to finish it.

"It wasn’t easy. They think I’ve got a hairline fracture in my palm, so it’s very painful. I always like to finish things that I’ve started, so I finished it."

Luis Leon Sanchez sets off. He's been very active in this final week and he really wants a stage win. He's going for it today, but he'll have a tough time beating Van Emden on this course. 

This has obviously been a very tough Giro d'Italia for the Astana team after Michele Scarponi's death just a few week's before hand. They came into the race with just eight riders and no leader, with Fabio Aru out with injury. Tanel Kangert looked like he might give the team a good GC finish but crashed out dramatically at the end of last week. They have Dario Cataldo in 14th place but they so would have loved a stage win to honour their fallen teammate. 

Alexander Foliforov is the 123rd rider to start. He won the mountain TT last year, but this is not the terrain he would usually excel on so he's unlikely to feature near the top of the standings. 

A strong ride from Georg Preidler to slot into the top 10 for now with his time of 33:59. 

And an excellent ride from Joey Rosskopf, finishing provisional fourth. That was a mighty effort from the BMC rider. 

@lanzany Sun, 28th May 2017 13:50:20

Laurens ten Dam the next rider down the ramp. The final 20 riders will be off in just over 20 minutes. 

@CafeRoubaix Sun, 28th May 2017 13:54:50

Vincenzo Nibali said that his first aim today will be to secure a podium finish. A victory will be a big bonus for the Italian. Can he do it today? Read his full comments ahead of today's stage here. 

There has been little change at the top of the standings as we go through this middle chunk of riders. Diego Rosa is coming up to the finish, with four kilometres still to go for the Italian. He is not going to trouble the top 10 today. 

@benneaf Sun, 28th May 2017 13:57:32

A solid effort from Luis Leon Sanchez, he is 50 seconds down in 13th at the second check point. 

Stef Clement on the course. The LottoNL-Jumbo is a potential threat to his teammate's current lead. He had a poor performance in the last time trial though so he'll have to hope he's come through the mountains really well. 

Fernando Gaviria finished his effort a while back, securing the maglia cyclamen. Here he is out on course earlier in the day. 

Mikel Landa has started his time trial. Provided his TT goes to plan then he's just over 30 minutes away from cementing his mountains jersey. 

@tarheelgis Sun, 28th May 2017 13:58:18

We're into the last 15 riders and no each rider is departing at three-minute intervals. 

@TeamSky Sun, 28th May 2017 14:10:28

We're getting to crunch time, is anyone else excited? Nairo Quintana needs to avoid losing more than 1.8 seconds per kilometre to stay ahead of Tom Dumoulin in the GC. Of course, he's also got Vincenzo Nibali and Thibaut Pinot to worry about.

A good ride from Tejay van Garderen so far as he goes 15 seconds slower than Van Emden at the first check. 

Mikel Landa on the Monza circuit, a dramatic backdrop to the start of the final stage. 

Stef Clement is 15th fastest at the second check. His teammate Van Emden can breathe a sigh of relief for now. Clement shouldn't be a challenge for his lead. 

@Chris_SK1 Sun, 28th May 2017 14:14:13

A bad day for Cataldo and he's lost some 48 seconds at the first checkpoint. Meanwhile, Van Garderen is sixth fastest at the second check. 

Van Garderen is just riding for glory and potentially another stage win. He's highly unlikely to change his position in the GC as Andrey Amador is 19 minutes ahead of him. He will finish 20th overall. 

Ruben Plaza passed his two-minute man Laurens ten Dam just before the line but it's only good enough for 17. There are a lot of very tired legs after a brutal final week. 

Adam Yates sets off. He's got a tough battle on his hands to keep hold of that white jersey. He would have to pull off something special to keep Bob Jungels at bay. 

The organisers note that Jos van Emden's time is the fifth fastest time trial in Giro d'Italia history. 

Just six more riders to start. We will find out the winner of the Giro d'Italia in less than an hour. 

Davide Formolo loses a minute at the first check. This is not a superb ride by the young Italian but his 10th place in the GC should be safe from Jan Polanc. 

Van Garderen fades in the second half of that time trial, coming to the finish line in 17th place. He'll be happy that the Giro d'Italia is over and he can look back on a first Grand Tour stage win. 

Bob Jungels goes third fastest at 13 seconds down at the first check. A solid ride from the Luxembourg champ. His white jersey challenge is going very well at the moment. 

The Giro d'Italia trophy is ready for engraving, but whose name will be on it?

Ilnur Zakarin has started and the podium fight has begun!

Yates through the first check and he's 27 seconds back on Van Emden, that's 14 seconds he's lost to Yates already. 

Nairo Quintana is warming up in the background as Dumoulin takes to the start ramp as a huge cheer fills the air. 

@LemeryATC Sun, 28th May 2017 14:35:26

Thibaut Pinot has donned his national champion skin suit and he's getting ready to ride. He's certainly a good shout today, but he'll have to hope for a much better TT than two weeks ago.

Thibaut Pinot has donned his national champion skin suit and he's getting ready to ride. He's certainly a good shout today, but he'll have to hope for a much better TT than two weeks ago.

Dumoulin winding his way through the corners of the Monza circuit. He looks as smooth as ever, but what is the power like in his legs after having to fight so hard in recent days. Dumoulin is expecting smaller time gaps in this TT and it's likely to be close at the top of the standings. 

A quick reminder of the GC standings before the end of this time trial. 

1 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 90:00:38
2 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida 0:00:39
3 Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ 0:00:43
4 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Sunweb 0:00:53
5 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin 0:01:15
6 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:30
7 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo 0:03:03
8 Adam Yates (GBr) Orica-Scott 0:06:50
9 Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick-Step Floors 0:07:18
10 Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac 0:12:55

@friebos Sun, 28th May 2017 14:50:39

Jungels now 34 seconds down on Emden. It's not his time to Van Emden that counts though, it's to Yates who is behind him on the road. 

Nibali now out on the Monza circuit, just Quintana to come!

Ilnur Zakarin went through the first check at 19 seconds down on Van Emden, which is six seconds slower than Jungels. 

And a huge cheer as Quintana sets off. He needs to give it everything he's got to keep this pink jersey. 

Tom Dumoulin just two seconds slower than Van Emden at the first check. That's a brilliant time for Dumoulin. Can he hold this pace or something close to it until the end?

Italian television reported that Dumoulin was going at an average speed of over 60kph in the opening kilometres. 

Thibaut Pinot is the next rider through the first check point. He has lost 26 seconds to Dumoulin already. 

We'll have to wait and see how Pinot is compared to the others, but he's likely to be overtaken by Dumoulin in the standings. 

Tom Dumoulin said ahead of the stage that he was actually quite happy not to be in pink on this stage. It means that he gets to wear his tried and tested skin suit, which could provide some vital seconds. 

Nibali is 17 seconds behind Dumoulin at the first time check, which means that he's 9 seconds up on Pinot. Dumoulin has jumped him too in the standings if things stay like this. 

There'll be a lot of nail biting at the finish line in Milan. Almost all the riders have finished and they have the chance to watch this Giro d'Italia come to its dramatic conclusion. 

Ilnur Zakarin has lost 54 seconds on Van Emden at the second check point. As Bob Jungels sprints to the line to post a time of 34:02 to finish seventh.

Nairo Qiuntnaa is through the first check and he's already lost 31 seconds on Tom Dumoulin. Dumoulin needs 53 seconds to beat Quintana. 

Dumoulin now coming through the second check. He's given away a few more seconds but he's only six seconds back on Van Emden. 

This is a really strong ride from Dumoulin and he's putting up a real fight for the overall classification. 

This was Nairo Quintana setting off on his time trial effort just over 10 minutes ago. 

Provisional standings after that first check has Quintana with just 19 seconds on Dumoulin, while Nibali is in third place at 31 seconds back. We wait for the second time check. 

Adam Yates comes home and he has lost the white jersey to Bob Jungels. He stops the clock at 35:36. A good effort for him but nowhere near god enough to keep the white jersey. 

Pinot is now 59 seconds back on Van Emden, which means he is now losing time to Zakarin. Not enough for the Russian to overhaul him though.

Bauke Mollema next to finish the time trial. He stops the clock at 34:54.

Nibali is now 43 seconds back on Van Emden, which is 37 behind Dumoulin. Only 14 seconds separated the pair at the start of the day. 

GPS has Dumoulin at 55 seconds up on Quintana but they're notoriously contrary so we'll take that with a pinch of salt. 

Just four kilometres left for Dumoulin as he winds his way through the streets of Milan. This is tense!

Nibali has his mouth wide open. He is digging deep for this. 

Nairo Quintana through the second time check and he's lost a minute to Dumoulin. Dumoulin is the virtual maglia rosa right now. 

Domenico Pozzovivo finishes. It's not a superb ride from him but he cements his top 10 finish in the general classification.

Zakarin driving to the line, he finishes with a time of 34:57.

Dumoulin has one kilometre to go and the crowds are huge as he powers to a potential Giro d'Italia victory. 

Tom Dumoulin finishes and he looks cooked. He doesn't win the stage but he manages to finish second with a time of 33:23. 

That was a huge effort from Dumoulin, he lost a further 9 seconds in that latter stage of the time trial but he avoided capitulation. Now it's up to the others. 

Jos van Emden is celebrating in the hot seat. He's almost certain of the stage win, his first at the Giro d'Italia. 

Here are some of the finishing times at the finish. The top 8 and some select GC riders.

1 Jos van Emden (LottoNL-Jumbo) 33:08
2 Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) +0.15
3 Manuel Quinzato (BMC) +0.27
4 Vasil Kiryienka (Sky) +0.31
5 Joey Rosskopf (BMC) +0.34
6 Jan Barta (Bora-hansgrohe) +0:39
8 Bob Jungels (Trek Segafredo) +0:54
28 Bauke Mollema (Trek Segafredo) + 1.46
46 Adam Yates (Orica Scott) +2.28

Looking at the second time check on the road, Dumoulin as the Giro d'Italia by just 3 seconds. That's likely to be more at the finish. 

Tom Dumoulin watching the TV with intent. This is a nervous wait for him. 

Pinot finishes 1:42 down on Van Emden. That's a disappointing ride for the Frenchman. 

Quintana overcooks a corner and he almost goes into the barriers. 

Nibali coming up to the finish and he's put in a good ride but it's not enough to hold off Tom Dumoulin. Will he beat Quintana though? He stops the clock at 34:17.

Van Emden is in tears at the finish. He can't believe that he's won a stage of the Giro d'Italia. 

Quintana has less than two minutes to finish this time trial to win the Giro d'Italia. 

Still a kilometre to go and it's almost certain that Dumoulin will win the Giro d'Italia.

Quintana crosses the line and he loses the Giro d'Italia to Tom Dumoulin but just a few seconds. 

Tom Dumoulin is the winner of the Giro d'Italia.

Wow what a finish that was. Dumoulin is the first ever Dutch winner of the Giro d'Italia. 

This is how things finished on the stage with Van Emden taking the victory. 

1 Jos Van Emden (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo 00:33:08
2 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Sunweb 00:00:15
3 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team 00:00:27
4 Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Team Sky 00:00:31
5 Joey Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team 00:00:35
6 Jan B‡rta (Cze) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:39
7 Georg Preidler (Aut) Team Sunweb 00:00:51
8 Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick-Step Floors 00:00:54
9 Jan Tratnik (Slo) CCC Sprandi Polkowice 00:00:57
10 Andrey Amador (CRc) Movistar Team 00:01:02
 

And here is your final GC standings.

1 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Sunweb 90:34:54
2 Nairo Quintana 00:00:31
3 Vincenzo Nibali 00:00:40
4 Thibaut Pinot 00:01:17
5 Ilnur Zakarin 00:00:56
6 Domenico Pozzovivo 00:03:11
7 Bauke Mollema 00:03:41
8 Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick-Step Floors 00:07:04
9 Adam Yates 00:08:10
10 Davide Formolo 00:15:17

@Movistar_Team Sun, 28th May 2017 15:40:38

Jos van Emden was very emotional at the finish. Here's a few words from him at the finish line. 

"I’m so happy so emotional. I was too may times second and this is a great day for Dutch cycling. Tom wins, I win, finally. There are two really happy people inside this tent."

Tom Dumoulin's name has been etched onto the Giro d'Italia's trophy. 

Here are a few words from a very happy Tom Dumoulin. 

"It’s great, it’s really crazy. I cannot describe it with words it’s incredible. It was such a nerve wracking day. I was super nervous from the beginning and I needed to stay calm but I almost couldn’t. I had good legs and I just went for it.

"I spoke to my sports director and he said only if we’re sure I’ll tell you not to take risks in the corners. He said it at halfway already. I was like, this is early to say something like that. Then I crossed the line and they were saying you’ve won it but then I sat here in front of the TV and it was only like three seconds. I was really angry but I eventually pulled it off. It’s incredible."

Here was Nairo Quintana after his time trial. He will be bitterly disappointed not to have taken the win, and so close too. His next focus is the Tour de France. 

And here is the final podium of the 2017 Giro d'Italia. 

Tom Dumoulin's teammate Laurens ten Dam was one of the most experienced riders in the bunch. He had this to say after the stage. 

"It’s great. The first time I won the Giro d’Italia (with a team) I was with Menchov. I was one of the young guys in the team and now I’m by far the oldest. I was in the US in the winter and I saw the parcours of the Giro and I was immediately texting with Tom about TTs and I said you have to do the Giro. Then I was beginning to doubt because every week there was another contender, Quintana was going to do it, Nibali, Aru all those guys. I thought maybe it was better to do the Tour de France.

"In the end we had a big discussion and we said that we have to go for it to try for the GC first time. He impressed me so much in the mountains this year. I knew that he was going to do great TTs but on Blockhaus on Oropa, even on a bad day he was able to limit his losses without Wilco. With Wilco he would have been in the jersey today already. As a team we showed ourselves. I’m so proud of the boys and especially Tom."
 

What a race the 100th Giro d'Italia has been. The organisers were hoping for a thrilling finish to the race, but they could hardly have expected it to go the way that it did. Although it wasn't as close as the 2012 race, there were more riders in contention and arguably much more exciting. 

Tom Dumoulin with his teammates up on the stage. 

Tom Dumoulin will be forever grateful for his teammates, they had to bury themselves for him at moments during the last week. It has been a dramatic final week of the Giro for Dumoulin. He had a commanding lead going into the queen stage but that untimely comfort break cut his lead right down. It set up the showdown for today as well. 

There were times this week that Dumoulin appeared on the ropes, but unlike the Vuelta a Espana in 2015 he didn't panic and he didn't implode. Dumoulin just ground his way back, with the help of his team and a few others. Going into today, he held the advantage but a small mistake would have done it for him. 

The top three finishers in the GC separated by just 40 seconds is some feat. It really was a great finish to the race. 

@giroditalia Sun, 28th May 2017 16:21:25

Nairo Quintana looked far from his best during this Giro d'Italia, and you have to wonder if that has a lot to do with his attempt for the Tour de France in July. 

There were times in the first week that he looked really strong and while he mounted an aggressive final few days, he wasn't able to do enough to truly crack Dumoulin. He will have to hope that he can really step up his form in the next month and come out all guns blazing in July. 

Like last year, Nibali proved to be at his best in the final week of the race. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't quite enough to take the overall victory this time around. 

There was much more competition for Nibali this season. With a time trial at the finish and a time trial specialist up against him, keeping just 14 seconds ahead of him was always going to be a tough ask. Ultimately, he will have to be happy with the result that he comes home with.  

Read some of the reactions from today's thrilling Giro d'Italia finale. We have the thoughts of Dumoulin, Van Emden and more. 

We also have full results and a report from today's stage. You can find that and all the results from this year's Giro d'Italia right here. 

Jos van Emden enjoys himself on the podium of the Giro d'Italia. 

That is it from our live coverage of the 100th Giro d'Italia. We'll leave you with this photo of the winner Tom Dumoulin.