Thank you for joining us at VAVEL for our live coverage and results from stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia. Tune in tomorrow for coverage of stage 18!
16:18. There will be no changes in the overall standing after today's stage.
16:16. The peloton are 3 km from the end, and it's been 13 minutes since Pirazzi crossed it! It shows that today's stage was really focusing on the recovery of many riders, especially Quintana
16:13. Ag2r setting the pace. BMC, Movistar, Tinkoff, Astana, OPQS are all well-positioned near the front.
16:10. It's been 8 minutes since Pirazzi crossed the line as the peloton draw into veneto. Movistar still head the group, but various individuls continue to test the pace of the Spanish team
Pirazzi breaks down in tears as he crosses the line. The Italian's emotional win will be celebrated by his huge fan base.
Here are today's results:
1.Pirazzi
2.Wellens
3.McCarthy
4.De Gendt
5.Montaguti
6.Veikkanen
7.Geschke
8.Felline
9.Canola
10.Pauwels
Pirazzi's sprint finish secures Bardini's 3rd Giro stage win. Wellens beats McCarthy in the sprint for second, followed by De Gendt and Montaguti.
Pirazzi wins it!
15:59. They have gone round the final turn, McCarthy looking to catch up!
15:59. Pirazzi attacks with 750 meters to go!
15:59. The sprint begins!
15:58. The chase group reforms, and Bak attacks. It looks to be too late now, as the leaders are rolling into the final turn
15:58. The 5 riders at the front enter the final three kilometers, and the road has widened. They will surely use this to their advantage in the final sprint
15:54. The chasing group has now split into two, with Boem and Felline leading the first chase group. They're combining forces in an effort to catch the front riders
15:54. The chasing group keep launching random attacks, due to no communication. If it continues like this, it'll be a tough job to catch the three up top
15:52. The attacking trio are working fantastically together, extending their gap to 23 seconds. 6.4 km's to go, with the peloton 13 minutes and 55 seconds behind
15:49. Attacks from Deignan and Pauwels kick up the pace from the chasers. They are now only 15 seconds behind the leaders of the stage
15:46. McCarthy and Montaguti join the front group with Wellens not far behind. The chase group is not cooperating, and they are 20 seconds behind
15:42. The peloton still look organized, with Quintana and Movistar spearheading the group. 12 minutes seperates them from the leaders
15:40. Gatto picks up a mechanical flat, and has to climb off to fix it. Taking a while, however, and it looks as if he's out of the battle
15:39. Simon Geschke falls due to slippy conditions. Back on his bike straight away, although it's looking increasingly unlikely that the chasers will now catch De Gendt and Pirazzi
15:32. The look on his face shows he's shattered, but De Gendt's determination keeps him going. He's almost been caught, but he's not bothered, and takes the 4 points. Pirazzi attacks late and comes just behind the Belgian
15:30. De Gendt pushes on alone, and looks likely to take todays victory. The other break members either fell, or are maintaining a steady pace
15:28. The roads to the finish look wet, which results in a small crash, taking down Le Bon, Frapporti and Vorganov. Le Bon and Frapporti are quick to get back on their bikes, but Vorganov limps off, looking in pain
15:26. Several riders try to break but a caught almost immediately. All getting very tense at the front of the group
15:25. Now Daniel Oss attacks! Geschke shuts it down.
15:22. Stefano Pirazzi decides to launch a counter charge to close the gap between the race race leader and him. The chase group are quick to follow, and quickly catch the Bardiani rider
15:20. Omega Pharma rider, Thomas De Gendt has made an attack, and broke away from the leaders.
15:18. The escapees continue to ride along at a leisurely pace, holding their 10 minute 30 second lead. Now would be the opportune moment for an attack, if they want to secure a podium finish. The peloton will close them down, then when they get to the wall, they will ascend quicker. It would be good to get themselves a bit of a lead
15:13. The leaders now approach the final climb of the day at around 25 km from the finish line. Wellens will be determined to bag 4 more points, although he will be tiring
15:12. The same problem faces the peloton as it did with the break members. As the road narrows at the end of the mountains stage, all the team cars and riders get congested and are forced to stop. Unfortunately for them, it takes the gap back to 11 minutes
15:06. Despite the peloton closing the gap to 10 minutes and 49 seconds, the break don't look like they will be caught today, with Wellens and Malacarne spearheading the group up front. 38 km to go
14:59. Tim Wellens takes all 4 points in the mountain stage. He will bolster his king of the mountains winning tally by winning the sprint at the top
14:57. The leaders now approach the Santo Stefano climb. It is 2.8 km at 5% (max. 13%), and could prove pivotal in who finishes on the podium; It could create a selection
14:54. The entire Movistar team lead the peloton, minus Anton, who's in the break-away. They still aren't making any advances, as they look to control the pace all the way to the home straight.
14:50. The peloton have a chance for a breather as they briefly drop down through the italian towns. However it's not going to be like this in the next few kilometers; The riders are faced by a couple more ascents, with the final one, Muro di Poggio, at 20 km
14:44. Gasparotto hasn't had alot of luck today, as he has to change bike once more. That's one of a number of changes for the Italian, yet he continues to press ahead of the peloton. 51 km remaining and the gap is down to 11 minutes and 37 seconds
14:38. Wellens attacked early and took maximum points in the intermediate sprint. Montaguti, De Gendt and Frapporti didn't seem to contest, but followed afterwards to claim 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
14:34. One of the break members, Enrico Gasparotto appeared to have suffered a mechanical puncture, but has been given a new bike altogether. He will have to catch up to the fast advancing leaders
14:29. We are slowly approaching an intermediate sprint. None of the break members will be able to challenge current red jersey holder, Nacer Bouhanni. 61 km remaining, and a gap of 12 minutes and 20 seconds seperates the peloton from the leaders
14:26. Damiano Cunego has picked up a mechanical front whell puncture and has dropped back behind the peloton. The Italian won the Giro in 2004, and has won 4 Giro stages at the Giro
14:22. There are currently 2 columbian riders occupying positions in the top 10 general classification, in addition to holding 3 of 4 prize jerseys. It's fair to say that cycling is spreading to countries unheard of in the sport previously, with succession!
14:18. The break-away continue to push ahead and stretch their lead to 10 minutes and 50 seconds. The peloton are looking content so far, and aren't looking to make any advances
14:16. Lotto-Belisol rider Adam Hansen is back with his team cars, trying to make his way back up besides the peloton. He dropped further back earlier today after a minor crash.
14:09. The peloton continue to persevere up another small category 4 ascent, which may seem harder than usual, due to yesterday's treacherous conditions and tricky mountain proile. It was full of controversy also, with many riders believing the stage had been neutralised. This controversy has carried through to today, with talk of 56 seconds being taken off Quintana's overall lead.
14:01. Movistar are maintaining a steady pace at the front of the peloton, with the gap between them and the break-away now up to 10 minutes
13:59. The rider currently spearheading the large group up ahead is Damiano Cunego. Despite being 48 minutes behind Quintana's overall ranking, the Lampre-Merida man will be determined to grab a stage victory
13:53. The peloton is lead by the Movistar team, unsuprisingly. Quintana's overall lead will be carefully guarded by his teammates, hoping to keep Rigoberto Uran and Omega Pharma-Quickstep away from the maglia rosa
13:49. The Italian riders will be looking to secure a 6th home victory of this years Giro. Canola is the only stage winner from this year's race, however there are three more Italian riders in Gasparotto, Gatto and Cunego who have won stages in the past
13:46. The break-away today consists of 25 riders, including 11 Italians. With a lead of 8 minutes, there is a huge chance that today's stage winner will be amongst that leading group
13:43. Good afternoon, and welcome to VAVEL's live updates and results of stage 17 of the 2014 Giro d'Italia. You join us with 94 km remaining, and with a break 7 minutes ahead of the peloton
13:37. VAVEL's live coverage of the Giro d'Italia will start shortly
11:00. The remaining km's are mainly flat or are slightly up hill, leading to the final bend, giving the sprinters a 450m home straight to battle it out.
10:50. After crossing Valdobbiadene with an intermediate sprint, some climbs will liven up the stage, with possible chances for break aways; Santo Stefano, a 2.8 km category 3 climb at 5% with the steepest section reching 13% and the “Ca’ del Poggio” wall a short 1.2 km category 4 climb at 12.2%, maximum 18%
10:40. As the race rolls on, the peloton will reach various climbs, with the highest category being a 3. Although this would usually be a walk in the park for today's riders, yesterday's grueling category 1 climbs in treacherous conditions will have taken a toll on the recovery of the participants
10:35. Today's starting point runs through the middle of the Non Valley, then entering a second valley in the Adige River valley and runs through the entire Sugana Valley.
10:25. Stage seventeen is more suited to the sprinters, with the course starting with the peloton abruptly cruising down the mountains, onto 208 km of rolling roads. The stage isn't completely flat however, with the last 80 km's holding various small climbs
10:15. A bumpy stage will test the peloton's determination and commitment to finishing the race after 18 hoursa rest. It proves to be an arduous task for Nairo Quintana as he hopes to retain his current overall lead, with the likes of Rigoberto Uran and Cadel Evans looking to close the gap on the Columbian
10:10. Today's stage could prove crucial in the overall standings, with between 10 - 20 riders reallistically challenging for the Maglia Rosa, and the other 150 just hoping to recover after yesterday's challenging mountain stage, as they were hit by severe snow fall
10:05. Today, the riders will have a 208 km excursion from Sarnonico to Vittorio Veneto in a relatively flat stage
Live updates of the 2014 Giro d'Italia
10:00. Hello, and welcome to VAVEL's live coverage and updates of the seventeenth stage from this years Giro d'Italia
