It’s more bad news for Jumbo-Visma, as Steven Kruijswijk has abandoned the 2021 Tour de France on stage 17. 

The Dutch WorldTour squad has suffered plenty of misfortune during this year’s Tour, as Kruijswijk is the fourth rider from the team to abandon the race. 

Jumbo-Visma announced that Kruijswijk had left the Tour after falling ill on the second rest day on Monday (July 12), and wasn’t able to recover as the race restarted on stage 16. 

Kruijswijk will now focus on the Vuelta a Espana, his team added. 

It’s a blow for Jumbo-Visma, who are currently sitting on the podium with their leader Jonas Vingegaard, who stepped in after Primož Roglič abandoned the race after a crash early in the race. 

Vingegaard battled his way into overall contention at the end of the first week, with a strong performance on the summit finish in Tignes.

The Dane was also the only rider who has been able to drop yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), as Vingegaard rode away during the second ascent of Mont Ventoux on stage 11, before Pogačar was able to catch him again on the descent from the summit. 

Following Kruisjwijk’s abandon, Jumbo-Visma have now lost 50 per cent of their team, as Robert Gesink, Tony Martin, and Roglič had all previously left the race due to injury.

Roglič had been the chosen leader for the team heading into the race, but he was injured in a crash on stage three.

After battling through the first time trial on stage five, Roglič began to lose time and eventually left the race after stage eight because of his injuries. 

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He will now be targeting both the Olympic time trial and road race later this month, before he returns to the Vuelta a España where he hopes to win a third consecutive title in the Spanish Grand Tour.  

Jumbo-Visma is the second team with pull out of the Giro d'Italia due to coronavirus.

The Dutch WorldTour squad has confirmed they will not race stage 10 of the Giro after their leader Steven Kruijswijk tested positive for coronavirus.

Kruijswijk was one of two riders who has been forced to leave the race after returning a positive result for Covid-19 during testing on the first rest day.

Michael Matthews (Sunweb) was the other rider and the Australian has also withdrawn.

Jumbo-Visma said in a statement: "Team Jumbo-Visma won't start in today’s tenth stage of the Giro d’Italia. More information will follow."

All riders and team staff at the Giro d'Italia were tested during the rest day on Monday (October 12), with Kruijswijk, Matthews and six staff members testing positive.

Jumbo sports director Addy Engels said: "In our opinion, it's the most responsible decision with one positive case in the team being Stevie. We've all been close to him. And also looking to what happened to Mitchelton-Scott: started with one case, and now another four in the last test yesterday. So we've decided to pick the the most responsible decision in terms of the health of our riders and staff."

Engels added: "It's a big thing to withdraw from a race anyway, and especially from a race like this. In our opinion, it's also in the interest of the race to do it like this, because riders have been in touch with Stevie closely, if they continue, I think for one weekend, that might be another couple of positives.

"So I think this is the safest way not only for us as a team, but I think also for the bunch and for the continuation of the Giro."

The team were informed of Kruijswijk's positive late last night and were then informed the team would be re-tested on Tuesday morning.

Team management then had a call to decided whether to continue with the race, with the opinions of riders and staff also taken into account, according to Engels.

Mitchelton-Scott has also decided to withdraw their entire team from the race before stage 10, after four of their workers were diagnosed with coronavirus.

The team had already lost their GC leader Simon Yates, who withdrew from the race after testing positive for coronavirus in the first week.

Steven Kruijswijk has abandoned the Giro d’Italia after testing positive for coronavirus on the first rest day. 

Jumbo-Visma rider Kruijswijk is the second pre-race favourite forced to abandon the Italian Grand Tour after catching Covid-19, following the departure of Simon Yates after stage seen. 

All riders and team staff at the Giro d'Italia were tested for coronavirus on the first rest day on Monday (October 12), with the UCI and race organiser RCS announcing the following morning that two riders had tested positive - one from Jumbo-Visma and one from Sunweb.

Jumbo-Visma have confirmed Kruijswijk is their rider with coronavirus, but the Sunweb rider has not yet been named.

Kruijswijk, who sat 11th overall at 1-24 off the race lead heading into the rest day, said: "Within the team we take a lot of measures to avoid contamination. And I just feel fit. I can’t believe I got it. It is a very big disappointment to get this news. It is a pity that I have to leave the Giro this way.”

A statement from Jumbo said: "Steven Kruijswijk will not appear at the start of the tenth stage of the Giro d’Italia. The Dutch leader of Team Jumbo-Visma tested positive on Covid-19 on the rest day. As a result, he has to leave the race.

"Kruijswijk has no complaints or symptoms and he was very motivated to win this Giro d’Italia. He received the news of his positive test this morning. The other riders and staff members of Team Jumbo-Visma tested negative twice and may continue the Giro d’Italia.

Simon Yates's Mitchelton-Scott team have also announced they are leaving the race after four staff members tested positive. 

The UCI and RCS said six members of staff at the race has contracted coronavirus - four from Mitchelton, one from AG2R La Mondiale and one from Ineos Grenadiers.

Those who have been tested positive have been left in the care of their team's doctors to undergo isolation.

Jumbo-Visma’s attempts to overthrow Team Ineos at the Tour de France have taken a blow as Steven Kruijswijk will be forced to miss the race due to injury. 

The Dutch Grand Tour contender is still suffering from a crash he suffered at the Critérium du Dauphiné last week and he will not be fit in time for the Tour at the end of August.

Kruijswijk, who finished third in last year’s Tour, was expected to be a key asset to Jumbo-Visma in the Tour de France, alongside Tom Dumoulin and race favourite Primož Roglič. 

In a statement shared on Twitter, Kruijswijk said: “Unfortunately, the consequences of my crash in the Dauphiné turn out to be more serious than hoped. 

“To my great disappointment, I cannot participate in the Tour de France due to a fracture in the shoulder and the many abrasions.

“I am now going to work on my recovery first and then I will focus on the Giro d’Italia as a new goal. I wish the team the best of luck in the Tour. I am very disappointed I cannot be part of it.” 

Kruijswijk crashed during a descent of the Col de Plain Bois on stage four and was immediately forced to withdraw, but the team were not sure of the extent of his injuries.  

But it’s now clear he will not be fit for the Tour de France and will instead start the Giro in early October. 

Dutch WorldTour team Jumbo-Visma has been stepping up their Grand Tour ambitions in recent years, finishing on the podium of all three-week races last year and winning the Vuelta a España with Roglič. 

This year, Jumbo have been the team to beat in stage races as they dominated Team Ineos in the Tour de l’Ain and then the Critérium du Dauphiné before both Kruijswijk and Roglič crashed out.

Team Ineos have now announced their surprising line-up for the 2020 Tour de France, with both Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome left out of the team.

Egan Bernal will try to defend his 2019 title, with Pavel Sivakov and Richard Carapaz supporting him in the mountains. 

>>> Tour de France 2020 route: Eight mountain finishes and uphill time trial to decide 107th edition 

Thomas, winner of the 2018 Tour, will instead now go up against Kruijswijk at the Giro d’Italia  after the disappointment of being left out of the Tour squad.  

From one of the least successful teams in the race, to winning for fun. Jumbo Visma have turned their team around in the last two years, and done it off the back of the humble time trial. James Shrubsall found out how.

The yellow team became the team in yellow. When Mike Teunissen gurned and wrestled his way to the first victory of this year’s Tour de France, there can’t be many who failed to notice the happy synchronicity between Jumbo-Visma’s in-house colour scheme and the Tour’s maillot jaune. How fortuitous that everything from the riders’ helmets to the team bus matched the most sought after garment in cycling.

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Perhaps it was fate. More likely it was the result of a lot of hard work.

Or as the team’s cheerful Kiwi climber George Bennett put it: “It was only a matter of time really.” Four-and-a-half seasons ago in 2014, when Dutch supermarket Jumbo — pronounced ‘yoombo’ to the uninitiated — first dipped a toe into WorldTour cycling sponsorship, the team racked up the rather ignominious total of six wins. It was the smallest figure across all 17 WorldTour teams that year, by some way, nearly 50 per cent less than next-least-winningest Cannondale.

Jumbo was the team’s second sponsor, next to the Dutch national lottery, LottoNL, and it boasted a 90 per cent Dutch roster which featured talent and experience in equal measure. Riders like Robert Gesink, Steven Kruijswijk and Sep Vanmarcke all suggested a great deal of potential, but the Jumbo supermarket bacon simply wasn’t brought home.

Pertinently, the Dutch team’s 2014 iteration, Belkin, had enjoyed 23 victories: the new sponsors were witnessing a significant dip in numbers of riders crossing finishing lines while pointing ecstatically at the branding on their jerseys.

However, in the four years since, the Jumbo team has increased its win tally year on year to the point where now, halfway through the season, it has already scored 37 wins. That’s already more than the record 33 the team amassed in the whole of last season.

The opening days of the Tour exemplified this. In last year’s team time trial at Cholet on stage three, LottoNL-Jumbo as they were then still called, registered a relatively lowly 13th. This year — not to use the word lightly — they smashed the entire field, retaining yellow in the process.

>>>> Read the full feature in this week’s Cycling Weekly magazine, available in newsagents and supermarkets, priced £3.25

How did this transition happen?

“If you look at the TTT, it’s a project for many years,” explains Jumbo directeur sportif Merijn Zeeman. “Our performance manager Mathieu Heijboer, he’s put so much effort into time trialling, into team time trialling — that’s so big, it’s Formula One.

“We lost one minute and 10 seconds or something [it was in fact 1.15] in the Tour last year, so of course it was a very important point to improve. It’s a part of the GC strategy,” he added.

The team this year are riding in support of Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk, who was fifth overall last year. Kruijswijk was part of the team back in 2015, but by and large this is a very different team in terms of personnel. Comparing the 2015 Tour squad to this year’s, only one man remains the same, and that’s Kruijswijk.

You can read the full feature in this week's Cycling Weekly magazine. Available in newsagents and supermarkets, priced £3.25

The Dutch national championships could be taken abroad in the hopes of attracting superstars like Tom Dumoulin and Steven Kruijswijk.

Jumbo-Visma team manager Richard Plugge has approached the Royal Dutch Cycling Union (KNWU) in the hopes of taking the race elsewhere to offer a route suited to the climbers.

The Netherlands is famed for its flat geography, with 25 per cent of the country either at or below sea level, which means race often swings in favour of the sprinters.

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Plugge, boss of Dutch WorldTour team Jumbo-Visma, told cycling news site Wielerflits: “An occasional sprint nationals is fine, but not year after year.

“That’s why I’m in favour of the championships on a selective course and as far as I’m concerned it can be held abroad.

“Riders like Steven Kruijswijk now have no chance of a Dutch championship.”

The Dutch governing body for cycling is seriously considering the proposal.

General director of the KNWU Thorwald Veneberg told newspaper AD: “We already talked to the teams last year about how we can try to make the Dutch championship attractive for riders and teams.

“A nationals in the mountains in Austria or Germany, where you can climb a lot is one of the ideas.

“Race organiser Golazo thought it was a wild and interesting idea. We too find it interesting, but for now and in the coming years we will have our hands full for the Dutch championships.”

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Money is one of the biggest barriers to moving the Dutch nationals abroad, according to Veneberg, as home companies are less likely to invest in a championship held outside of the country.

Cross-discipline star Mathieu van der Poel won the 2018 nationals, beating Danny van Poppel and Ramon Sinkeldam in a bunch sprint from a reduced peloton.

The 2019 event will be held in Ede in the centre of the county.

Jumbo-Visma rider Kruijswijk and Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin are both skipping the race because of the unchallenging parcours.

Star sprinter Dylan Groenewegen will also miss the nationals because it does not fit in with his Tour de France preparation.

Vuelta a España leader Simon Yates says he is “very wary” of rival Steven Kruijswijk heading into the final mountain stages of the race.

The Dutchman, riding in LottoNL-Jumbo colours, vaulted onto the podium after a stunning time trial display on stage 16.

Kruijswijk finished just 50 seconds down on stage winner Rohan Dennis, and is now 53 seconds behind Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) in the battle for the red jersey.

Speaking after Tuesday’s TT, British GC hope Yates said: “Kruijswijk has been strong everyday so far and slowly getting better with each stage.

“He’s also normally good in the third week of a Grand Tour and a real diesel engine.

“He’s a good guy and now he’s up to third we’ll have to be very wary of him."

Yates put in a strong performance to defend his race lead, extending the gap between himself and the chasing Movistar pair Alejandro Valverde and Nairo Quintana.

Finishing 13th on the time trial stage, Yates now sits 33s up on Valverde, 52s on Kruijswijk and has a 1-15 buffer on Quintana.

The 26-year-old said: “I did a really good ride. I was [going] really well in the very beginning and on the hard climbs I had the perfect pacing strategy, but in the final, I was just dying like everybody else and it wasn’t nice.

“33 seconds over Valverde is not that much. I had much more of an advantage in the Giro – over a minute – and we all know how that finished in the end.

“But there’s still a long way to go and we’ll see how tomorrow goes.”

Yates faces another GC battle on Tuesday, as the Vuelta heads to the Basque region.

Riders will take on the 157km stage from Getxo to Balcón de Bizkaia, which ends in a 7.1km first category climb to the finish.

Results

Vuelta a España 2018 stage 16 time trial, Santillana del Mar – Torrelavega (32km)

1. Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC, in 37-57

2. Joey Rosskopf (USA) BMC, at 50s

3. Jonathan Castroviejo (Esp) Team Sky, at 50s

4. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, at 51s

5. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Sky, at 51s

6. Enric Nas (Esp) Quick-Step Floor, at 1-03

7. Nelson Oliviera (Por), at 1-05

8. Laurens De Plus (Bel), at 1-07

9. Simon Geschke (Ger) Sunweb, at 1-10

10. Kasper Asgreen (Dnk) Quick-Step, at 1-10

General classification after stage 16

1. Simon Yates (Gbr) Mitchelton-Scott, in 64-52-58

2. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, at 33s

3. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, at 52s

4. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar, at 1-15

5. Enric Mas, (Esp) Quick-Step Floors, at 1-30

6. Miguel Angel Lopez (Col) Astana Pro Team, at 1-34

7. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, at 2-53

8. Ion Izagirre (Esp) Bahrain-Merida, at 3-04

9. Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Education First-Drapac, at 3-15

10. Tony Gallopin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale, at 4-43

While the cameras focussed on stage winner Geraint Thomas atop Alpe d'Huez on Thursday, there was heartbreak for Steven Kruijswijk who made it into the early break before going solo with 71.5km still to race, only to be caught just 3.5km to the line.

Despite his disappointment, the Dutchman still found time to upload his ride to Strava, which gives us a chance to give him some kudos on a great ride, and also see the sort of effort he put in.

Anyone watching the early stages of the race could tell that it was a fast start to the day, with Kruijswijk's stats confirming this as he averaged 53kmh on the 28km approach to the first climb.

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Once the road started to ramp up, he was able to make it into the break alongside LottoNL-Jumbo team-mate Robert Gesink, who also uploaded his power data to Strava, data that should be pretty similar to Kruijswijk's due to the two men's similar physiques.

In order to make it into the break, Gesink had to average 446 watts for the first five minutes of the Col de la Madeleine, and also had to put in a number of surges of more than 800 watts in order to follow accelerations.

In total, the break climbed the 25km hors-categorie ascent in 1-07, giving an average speed of 22kmh, with Gesink averaging 367 watts and Kruijswijk setting the sixth fastest ascent on Strava. (The fastest time is still held by Levi Leipheimer from the 2012 Tour de France, while Pavel Sivakov - now at Team Sky - also rode more than a minute faster than Kruijswijk on a stage of the 2017 Tour de l'Avenir).

Watch: Tour de France 2018 stage 12 highlights

However it was on the Col de la Croix de Fer that Kruijswijk made his move, not putting in a violent acceleration but still raising the pace to nearly 30kmh to ride away from the rest of the breakaway.

In total, Kruijswijk averaged 23kmh for the 28km climb with an impressive time of 1-12-19, although this again was not good enough for the KOM which is still held by Thibaut Pinot after the Frenchman went four minutes quicker during the 2015 Tour.

Despite the two uphill sections on the descent, Kruijswijk still averaged more than 50kmh as he descended towards the valley, at one point hitting 96.5kmh on a straight section of road.

Onto Alpe d'Huez and Kruijswijk's speed data is actually rather impressive as he managed to hold a steady 16kmh throughout the climb, although his cadence data shows the fatigue starting to bite as he goes from averaging around 85rpm in the first couple of kilometres of the climb to just 65-70 rpm as he was caught later on.

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Of course a lot of credit has to go to the infernal pace set by Team Sky behind. Michal Kwiatkowski's Strava stats are particularly worth a look as he leads the GC group through the steep first kilometre at an average speed of 15kmh, before pulling off the front and crawling up the rest of the climb at just 10kmh, losing an impressive 29 minutes in the process.

Romain Bardet also uploaded his stats to Strava, showing that Egan Bernal was tapping along at an impressive 18-19kmh on the eight per cent climb, with Bardet himself accelerating up to 23kmh as he attacked behind, forcing Sky to raise the pace again and ultimately bring an end to Kruijswijk's heroic day at the front of the race.

As the attacking started, the leaders upped the pace to cover the final few hairpins at 23kmh, before a downhill run through ski resort and a four per cent ramp to the line where Thomas accelerated away from the rest, comfortably moving clear of Bardet who was still sprinting at more than 40kmh despite the gradient.

General classification contenders Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) were among a number of riders to crash with 18km remaining on stage four of the Giro d'Italia after race leader Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) misjudged a corner at the front of the peloton.

Approaching a right-hand bend at high-speed before the final climb to Mount Etna, Gaviria, at the front of the bunch, appeared to misjudge the tightness of the corner, carrying too much speed into the turn before being forced to go straight on.

That caused a number of riders behind to crash as riders either swerved left or hit the brakes as they realised they were going into the corner too fast.

There were also a few fisty cuffs a few kilometres earlier when Javier Moreno (Bahrain-Merida) and Diego Rosa (Team Sky) appeared to have a disagreement over something or other.

Moreno rode up behind the Italian Sky rider and appeared to pull him backwards, before exchanging angry words and pushing him towards the crowd.

The sun's rays cut easily through the thin air in Tenerife where Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) prepares to win the 2017 Giro d'Italia.

The fair-skinned ginger Dutchman keeps a bottle of SPF 50 sun block in his back pocket and when he breaks from his altitude training, sprays more on his exposed legs, arms and face. After coming close to winning the 2016 edition of the Italian Grand Tour, he minds every detail during this crucial build up period.

"Sun block? I use a lot, of course, because I get sunburned so quickly," Kruijswijk says. "Everyday, SPF 50. That's the bad thing about being a ginger!"

>>> Giro d'Italia 2017: Latest news and race info

Kruijswijk is passing his final days on Spain's Teide volcano off the coast of western African where Chris Froome often builds for the Tour de France. After the final touches, and sprays of sun block, he will fly to England for the Tour of Yorkshire and Sardinia for redemption in the Giro d'Italia.

The Giro celebrates its 100th edition this May 5 to 28. The route travels from Alghero in Sardinia, to Sicily and from the toe of Italy's boot to the Alps in the north.

Most of cycling's Grand Tour stars will attend, including Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida), and Brits Geraint Thomas (Sky) and Adam Yates (Orica-Scott).

"My mindset is different than the years before, I'm convinced I can be with the guys who are fighting with the podiums in the Grand Tours," explains 29-year-old Kruijswijk.

"I've seen that my level has been better than ever coming out of the winter. It looks promising."

The Colle dell'Agnello disaster

Those towering Alps crushed the promise of a Kruijswijk Giro victory last May when all looked as rosy as the leader's pink jersey that he wore.

Given the expected win, additional Dutch journalists and VIPs flew to Turin to ready for the party.

Their star led with three minutes and had handled the mountains comfortably so far.

Colombian Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott) sat second, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) third at 3-23 and Nibali fourth at 4-43. Only a stage to Risoul, in France, and one to Sant'Anna di Vinadio, back into the Giro's home country, remained. And of course, the final flat parade stage to Turin.

Some of us journalists were looking for lunch in France when the group began the race's highest pass, the Colle dell'Agnello. We had filed pieces about how this was the hardest point in Nibali's career. The Grand Tour champion and pre-race favourite lost time on several stages and his team doctors were examining him to understand why.

When we sat back down in the press room, Kruijswijk was climbing comfortably with the leaders. He topped the 2,744m pass, flanked by snow banks, with Chaves and Nibali.

All that remained was the smaller uphill finish to Risoul.

Then the television flashed images Kruijswijk on his feet, elbow bloody, and adjusting his bike. A replay showed him overshooting a left-hand bend shortly after the pass, smashing into the vertical snow bank and somersaulting to the ground.

He frantically fiddled with his celeste-painted Bianchi bike before setting off and lost more time with a bike change.

He arrived at the Risoul ski resort 4-54 minutes behind stage winner Nibali and collapsed after searching unsuccessfully for his team's hotel. He caught his breath for a few minutes with his head resting on his handlebars. "S**t," he said when he stood up. "I tried to give everything, but... I lost the Giro here."

It was too much. He slipped to third at 1-05 and the next day, with pain coming from his elbow, ribs and back, fell to fourth overall. It was his best Grand Tour result after finishing seventh and eighth in the Giro before, but much less than what he thought was possible ahead of that weekend.

>>> Tom Dumoulin: I can’t compete with Nibali and Quintana at 95 per cent

"In my opinion, I was going too wide out of the corner. We were at high speeds," says Kruijswijk. "You can see Nibali and Chaves are already on the edge of the road, and if you are coming in a little faster than them... I couldn't hold it on the road.

"They said a lot about putting pressure on me on the downhill... Of course, it was full racing, but it was more about getting time on the rivals we dropped than putting pressure on me.

"I could follow on the climb. And in the days before too, I could drop them on the climb, so I don't think he was trying to drop me.

"Let's say I would've stayed on and got down the hill OK, I was in such a good position because I knew Nibali would pull with his team-mates in front for the stage win and the podium. At that time, the situation was perfect. I only had to sit on the wheels."

Kruijswijk returned home to the Netherlands. He had been living between there and Girona, Spain, before making the move to Monaco this winter. He spent time with his newly born son, Perre and reflected.

The sun still bright above, he stops for a moment to clarify. “Perre is a Catalonian name,” he says. “We wanted something different for him.”

Kruijswijk straightens up in his seat. So broad are his shoulders, the Dutch nicknamed him the ‘Kleerhanger’ or the ‘Clothes Hanger'. He returns to the Giro, which had made a “big impression” on him and the team.

"That was the first time I was in that position. I was really close to winning in the end, I looked to be one of the strongest up hills," he continues.

"It was a bit hard to handle the first two weeks home after the Giro, when you thought, 'OK, maybe I could've been there for the biggest win in my career.' This winter, also, I was reminded about it many times and you realise, it was a big chance that slipped by.

"I don't think it was my only chance. I know now that it's possible. We are going to try to do all possible now to be there again."

‘The team needed to make a step up’

LottoNL-Jumbo's general manager Richard Plugge shook his head with disbelief when his star arrived in Risoul. The Bianchi bicycle representatives and VIPs left Turin devastated.

The Netherlands sighed collectively as Kruijswijk would have been their first winner in the Giro d'Italia.

Plugge arranged for another team in the Tour de France and for Kruijswijk to lead the Vuelta a España. That ended poorly, too. He crashed into an exposed bollard left neglected in the road, fractured his collarbone and abandoned.

Despite 2016's misfortune, Plugge, Kruijswijk and the team remained upbeat. They began 2017 with confidence.

"Physically there's not a big change, but mentally there is. I'm sure of it," sports director Addy Engels says with his soft voice.

"This is the first time that he was able to compete at that level. Every rider is confident, but if you do that for the first time, that's a big thing. That does a lot to your mental strength.

"We are sure he can compete with the best, he could compete with Nibali for 19 stages, so why not with the other guys? There are more of them in the 2017 Giro, for sure, but he can compete with them.

"Steven's strength is also his high level in the third week and I think the Giro will be decided in those last stages. That gives him confidence. For sure it's going to be more difficult, also because that we’re not flying under the radar as an underdog now."

Followers gave most attention to Nibali and Valverde ahead of last year's Giro. Kruijswijk's ride even surprised his team, which lacked support in the high mountains. Over the winter, they beefed up the team around him by hiring Stef Clement and Jurgen Van den Broeck.

"The team needed to make a step up," Engels adds. "I think we did with guys like Clement and Van den Broeck. He needs that support up to the last climb."

"I think it took me a little longer than the other riders to be up there in the classification," explains Kruijswijk. "Still now, I only showed last year to be a potential winner. I need to show it this year again.

"I always believed in myself. I'm not that old, I'm 29, but most of the time you've seen the riders already popping up earlier, four to five years younger. I came later, I began to believe in myself again and it worked out well."

‘I don't have to prove anything’

The Giro d'Italia start list this year looks much more competitive with the addition of another Grand Tour star in Quintana.

Four-time Grand Tour winner Nibali stood above the rest on the start last year, while former Vuelta champion Valverde, then 36, appeared an unlikely winner. Ilnur Zakarin, Esteban Chaves, Mikel Landa and Kruijswijk – though talented cyclists – hardly ranked with the Grand Tour greats.

Still, this year will see even more stars line-up for the 100th Giro. Organiser RCS Sport attracted Nibali, Quintana, Thibaut Pinot, Sky's Geraint Thomas and Mikel Landa, Adam Yates and Tom Dumoulin.

Fabio Aru cancelled his plans at the last minute after crashing and injuring his knee. Given the packed start list this year, some critics say that the 2016 edition would have been an 'easy' one to win and that Kruijswijk will be swimming in deeper waters this year.

"Nibali is only one of the six riders who've won all three Grand Tours. Valverde placed on the podium in the Tour. And Chaves. I wouldn't call that an easy field," Kruijswijk says.

"I showed I'm able to handle those guys, also in the mountains. And they showed that they are winners in races. It doesn't matter if five or six stars ride, or 10 or 15... Well, I can show it this year because everyone will be there except for Chris Froome.

"I don't have to prove anything, though. I just want to get the big result that I'm capable of. I know many people are expecting me, otherwise they will call that one year a fluke."

Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) saw his Vuelta a España challenge come to a painful and avoidable end on stage five when he crashed into a pole on the side of the road and landed heavily on his collarbone.

The Dutchman didn't spot the pole, which was about half a metre in from the left side of the road within the final three kilometres. He hit it while in a group of riders, bringing down and Ag2r La Mondiale man with him, but it was Kruijswijk who came off worse with a broken left collarbone.

The CPA called for more action to be taken to remove dangerous obstacles in the final kilometres of races, with the pole not even clearly marked. Geraint Thomas agreed and called on the UCI to take measures.

Bram Tankink reveals how the pole in question would be invisible to the upcoming peloton, especially for a rider in the middle of the bunch like Kruijswijk.

Koen de Kort was even at the head of a group and didn't see the offending bollard.

Peter Stetina suffered horrific leg injuries when he crashed into bollards at the end of a stage of the Tour of the Basque Country last season.

Organisers Unipublic apologised for the incident, but many have asked how such an obstacle could have been missed in the first place.

A pole in the final 2.5 kilometres of the Vuelta a España's fifth stage in Lugo caused overall favourite Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) to crash. He abandoned the race and end his season with a broken left collarbone.

The Dutchman, who led the Giro d'Italia and placed fourth overall, confirmed the incident to the team’s doctor while in the Lugo hospital. The race organiser Unipublic is meeting regarding the metal pole, which was already bent at an angle facing the oncoming cyclists.

While Kruijswijk remained on the left side of the road, Gianni Meersman (Etixx-Quick Step) went on to win the stage. Colombian Darwin Atapuma (BMC) continues to lead the race.

In another stage race last year, the Tour of the Basque Country, a similar pole left on the side of the road at 400 metres out caused Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) and Peter Stetina (then with BMC) to crash and fracture bones. Stetina suffered worse, he broke his right tibia and patella and four ribs. The American said he could have died.

While not at 400 metres, the metre-high pole today was in the final kilometres, where the roads should have been cleared of any unnecessary obstacles. Photos emerged on Twitter of the pole and the crash.

José Luis De Santos, president of the Spanish riders association that oversees road saftey, said, “The Vuelta looked over it, it was a mistake and wrong, it was our fault.”

He said that he will talk to the teams association and that they will possibly take action.

Unipublic said in a statement: "In response to the accident involving riders Steven Kruijswijk (Team Lotto-NL Jumbo) and Jan Bakelants (AG2R La Mondiale) during the fifth stage held today, the organisation of the 2016 Vuelta a España wishes to express its deepest regret for what happened."

Adding: "The organisation has been in contact with the directors of both teams and with the

general manager of Team Lotto-Jumbo in order to convey its sincerest apologies, expressed also through this statement, just as it has also been in contact with the riders’ representatives in the Vuelta, with the International Cycling Team Association and with the President of the Commissioners College in the International Cycling Union."

Unipublic also said that an internal investigation had been opened into the incident.

“My ribs and collarbone hurt a lot,” Steven Kruijswijk said. “I crashed heavily into that pole.

“It’s terrible that I have to leave this race because of an object that shouldn’t have been there. I’m going home immediately tomorrow, my season’s over. This was, after the Giro d’Italia, my second big target and I’m really fed up about the way I’m leaving this Vuelta.”

Steven Kruijswijk says that his Giro d'Italia is over after he crashed on the Colle dell'Agnello and lost time to his rivals in the Giro d'Italia. Only one mountain stage remains tomorrow before the flat finish into Turin on Sunday.

The Dutchman of team LottoNL-Jumbo crashed shortly after the start of the descent from the Giro's highest peak. The team took him to the hospital in Besançon after the stage for X-rays, most likely on his ribs and left elbow.

He crossed the line in the sunny Risoul ski resort at 4-54 minutes behind stage winner Vincenzo Nibali (Astana). He kept riding and searched for his team’s hotel, stopping at a dead-end and lost on a gravel road.

"Shit," he said, catching his breath. Further down, race officials calculated the times. He still wore the pink jersey, but Chaves took over the race lead by 44 seconds on Nibali and 1-05 on Kruijswijk.

"I tried to give everything, but my body just hurt like hell, and then it's all over. Yeah [I'm still in third], but I lost the Giro here."

Kruijswijk was positioned to become the first Dutch winner in the Giro d'Italia's 99-year history with only two mountain stages remaining and a hefty three-minute lead over Chaves at the start of the stage.

The television camera then caught his fall, just after topping the 2744-metre snow-banked pass. He overshot a right bend and crashed against the snow, tumbling head over heels.

The neutral service helped him return to his bike and continue. Further down, the Dutch team's caught him and gave him a new Bianchi bike to continue towards the Risoul finish. Ahead, however, Nibali and Chaves worked with their teammates and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) did so with Rafal Majka (Tinkoff).

"I don't know what happened, it was just a stupid mistake. On the descent, I fucked up. Everything it's shit," Kruijswijk said still sitting on his bike on the small gravel road among Risoul's chalets.

"I was on my limit on the top, I wanted to eat and drink something, I was following the rest and then I made a stupid steering mistake and I ended up in the snow bank. The fall wasn't that bad itself, but my bike was a mess and I couldn't' ride on with it, and I lost the leaders, and then you know it's all over."

LottoNL took him to the hospital for checks after Kruijswijk complained of problems. "I feel that I've hurt my ribs, my back," he added. "After the finish, I felt it really bad. My morale is broken."

The race now appears to be between Chaves and 2013 winner, Nibali.

"In these years, I always saw that in the last days of a Grand Tour anything can happen," Nibali said. "I lived through hard days, but today, I found my kick."

"Tomorrow is a hard day, one of the worst or nastiest," Chaves said. "There are three or four of us close together, but I'm going out tomorrow to defend the jersey. If we win, we take the jersey home, if we don't, then that's OK."

Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) put in an attacking display on the mountainous stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia to take the stage win and move up to second overall.

Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) moved into the maglia rosa after finishing 50 seconds behind the Italian and over four minutes ahead of Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) on the summit finish to Risoul, who suffered a miserable day at the Giro d'Italia and slipped to third, 1-05 behind Chaves.

Nibali now sits 44 seconds off Chaves ahead of the final mountain stage and 1-04 ahead of Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) in fourth after he finish 2-14 down on the stage.

The action really kicked off on the stage on the Cima Coppi climb, the highest point in this year's Giro, on the slopes of the Colle Dell'Agnello.

A 28-man break had finally got away after around 70km of riding, and it was Nibali's teammate Michele Scarponi who took the prize after cresting the summit first.

But Scarponi's presence up front would be a help for his compatriot later on, with Chaves the first to attack towards the summit and only Kruijswijk and Nibali able to follow as Valverde and Rafal Majka (Tinkoff) suffered.

But the gaps weren't huge and the GC contenders were more or less together as they began the descent down the French side of the climb.

Kruijswijk though, may look back and say that was the moment he lost the Giro d'Italia. The race leader was unable to control his bike on a corner on the snowy descent and went flying into the snow drift on the right hand side of the road.

Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) was another GC contender to suffer on the descent, going off the edge of the road and suffering a collarbone injury, abandoning the race.

With damage to his bike and his team car some way back down the climb, there was nothing the Dutchman could do but try and catch Nibali and Chaves without all his gears available and the pair over 30 seconds ahead.

Eventually he was able to get a bike change but looked to have some job on his hands to catch his rivals.

As the Nibali group hit the final climb, Scarponi and the rest of the reaming break were caught and he was able to put some work in to help his team leader get away on the final climb.

Maxime Monfort (Lotto-Soudal) who was the only rider left out front from the break on his own, was then caught and passed by Chaves and Nibali as they got away from Valverde, Majka and Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale).

The leaders then quickly went to a minute ahead of that group, with Sky's Mikel Nieve latching on in the hunt for a second stage win. Kruijswijk, who was without and teammates, looked to be suffering on the category one climb to Risoul and began leaking time and his lead to the pair up front.

With 5km to go on the 12km finishing climb, Colombian Chaves began to fade and 2013 Giro winner attacked. That increase in pace saw Valverde move two minutes back and Kruijswijk to almost four minutes.

Chaves was able to hold the gap that Nibali had put into him, and eventually rolled in after Nieve 53 seconds behind the Italian champion who took his first Giro victory since 2013.

With Valverde finishing 2-14 down on the winner, and Kruijswijk fighting to get in at 4-54, it means Chaves now heads into the final mountain stage of the Giro with a 44 second lead ahead of Nibali.

The final GC battle will take place over four categorised climbs to Sant’Anna di Vinadio on stage 20, with a category three summit finish on the 132km route shortly after a the category one Colle Della Lombarda.

Results

2016 Giro d'Italia stage 19, Pinerolo - Risoul (162km)

1. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana, in 4-19-54

2. Mikel Nieve (Esp) Team Sky, at 51s

3. Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge, at 53s

4. Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre-Merida, at 1-02

5. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff, at 2-14

6. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, at 2-14

7. Rigoberto Uran (Col) Cannondale, at 2-14

8. Georg Preidler (Ger) Giant-Alpecin, at 2-43

9. Nicholas Roche (Ire) Team Sky, at 2-51

10. Hubert Dupont (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 2-51

Others

14. Bob Jungels (Lux) Etixx-Quick Step, at 3-45

16. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, at 4-54

Overall classification after stage 19

1. Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge, in 78-14-20

2. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana, at 44 secs

3. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, at 1-05

4. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, at 1-48

5. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff, at 3-59

6. Bob Jungels (Lux) Etixx-Quick Step, at 7-53

7. Andrey Amador (CRC) Movistar, at 9-34

8. Rigoberto Uran (Col) Cannondale, at 12-18

9. Kanstantin Siutsou (Blr) Dimension Data, at 13-19

10. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 14-11

Steven Kruijswijk had a few moments of panic midway through the stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia, crashing spectacularly on the descent of the Colle Dell'Agnello.

The Dutchman misjudged a corner and crashed hard into a bank of snow at the side of the road, flipping off his bike and landing on his back.

When he got up he realised his bike wasn't working and tried to fix it himself before a neutral service mechanic arrived.

The gearing was still broken when he got back on after a 30-second delay, leaving Kruijswijk spinning in a low gear.

Further down the mountain, Katusha leader Ilnur Zakarin was involved in a nasty crash, leaving him requiring medical attention off the side of the road.

On the climb of the Agnello, Orica-GreenEdge put the peloton to the sword, setting an incredibly high pace which left Kruijswijk without any teammates.

Michele Scarponi (Astana) scaled the mountain to claim the Cima Coppi.

Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) admits he's surprised to be leading the Giro d'Italia going into stage 17 but he's not taking his three-minute lead for granted heading into the final mountain stages.

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) showed he's still up for the fight on stage 16, despite sitting over three minutes down on the Dutchman, attacking on the climbs and eventually winning the stage ahead of the man in the pink jersey.

The Spaniard moved up to third in the general classification with his win, behind Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) and Kruijswijk knows he's got his work cut out to defend his lead.

"I won’t underestimate my rivals. Valverde is in great condition and I won’t make that mistake," Kruijswijk told Gazzetta World.

“There were a lot of attacks on the first climb [of stage 16]. I understand why they made them, but I knew which ones I had to check. I responded to the attacks of [Vincenzo] Nibali and Valverde, then I controlled the stage.”

Who is Steven Kruijswijk

Kruijswijk finished second on stages 14, 15 and 16 to build his lead, while rivals such as Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Chaves faded on the short mountain stage on Tuesday.

But while all those high finishes have put him in a good position to win the Giro d'Italia on Sunday, Kruijswijk admits he'd have liked to win a stage.

“I would have liked to win one as a gift to the team. There is a hint of regret,” he said

Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk will win the Giro d'Italia on Sunday, says Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), who was stage winner today in Andalo.

Team LottoNL-Jumbo's Kruijswijk increased his lead today in Italy’s northeast with attacks over the final two climbs on stage 16. He has an advantage of three minutes over Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) in the general classification and 3-23 on Valverde. 2013 victor Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) lost more time today, 1-47 minutes, and slipped to fourth at 4-43 minutes.

"From today, he is the strongest rider in this Giro," Valverde said of Kruijswijk. "Sure, there are two more big days in the mountains, but based on how he's going and his knowledge of the race, I believe Steven Kruijswijk will be the champion."

>>> Five talking points from stage 16 of the Giro d’Italia

Valverde attacked today at 15 kilometres remaining and drew out Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) and Kruijswijk. He won the stage, took the 12 bonus seconds and Kruijswijk placed second with six bonus seconds. Chaves finished at 42 seconds and Nibali at 1-47.

"Kruijswijk's looking very strong, it will be hard to knock him out," Valverde added. "I'm close to second place with Chaves. Nibali is still there, he's a very attacking rider, he will try to attack me, and put himself on the podium – for me, from today, Steven Kruijswijk is the strongest in this Giro."

Valverde, 36 years old from Murcia, is racing his 19th grand tour. He won the Vuelta a España in 2009 and placed third in the Tour last year. He counts five other Grand Tour podium places – but has never raced for the pink jersey nor finished top three in the Giro.

>>> Steven Kruijswijk repels constant attacks to extend overall lead in Giro d’Italia

"It's mission accomplished. We started here with two objectives: victory and a place on the podium – one is achieved, the other is something within our grasp. We have two important and dangerous stages to come," Valverde added.

"I am enjoying this a lot, thanks to the fans. I would have liked to have come before, but we're here now, and I am really enjoying it."

Valverde fell out with Italy after investigators took his blood when the Tour de France passed through the country in 2008 and linked him to the Operación Puerto doping investigation by using his DNA. With his ban and legal troubles, he did not race again in Italy until 2013.

Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) was under fire almost from the drop of the flag on a remarkable stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia but the Dutchman gave as good as he got to extend his overall lead.

Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) was one of many to take the race to the surprise maglia rosa holder but found himself dropped on the final climb to lose 1-47 seconds on the day.

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) won the stage, having been out front with Kruijswijk and Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) in the final stages of the stage

The attacks started early in the day with Nibali, Valverde, Zakarin and other general classification hopefuls looking to isolate Kruijswijk. A real breakaway couldn't get away thanks to the intensity at the front of the peloton.

Who is Steven Kruijswijk?

Zakarin was particularly active on the first climb, briefly getting away with Nibali's teammate Tanel Kangert, but Kruijswijk smothered everything thrown at him.

Nibali made the biggest attack of the day, sprinting away on the first climb, distancing second-placed Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) but not Kruijswijk and the others.

On the second big climb of the day Kruijswijk himself sped off the front, joined by Valverde and Zakarin - a trio who virtually team time trialled to the line to distance Nibali and Chaves.

Behind them, Nibali cracked on the sharp ascent with 10km to go while Chaves tried to get back in contention with the leading three riders.

Valverde won the stage in a sprint against Kruijswijk, who finished second for the third stage in a row to extend his lead over Chaves to three minutes. Valverde leapfrogged Nibali into third and sits an extra 23 seconds back.

Giro d'Italia stage 16, Bressanone - Brixen Andalo (132km)

1. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, 2-58-54

2. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, st

3. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha, at 8s

4. Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre-Merida, at 37s

5. Bob Jungels (Lux) Etixx-Quick Step, st

6. David Lopez (Esp) Team Sky, at 38s

7. Sergey Forsanov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvel, st

8. Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge, at 42s

9. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff, at 50s

10. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 1-47

Overall standings after stage 16

1. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, 63-40-10

2. Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge, at 3-00

3. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, at 3-23

4. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana, at 4-43

5. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha, at 4-50

6. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff, at 5-34

7. Bob Jungels (Lux) Etixx-Quick Step, at 7-57

8. Andrey Amador (Crc) Movistar, at 8-53

9. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 10-05

10. Kanstantin Siutsou (Blr) Dimension Data, at 11-03

Who would have thought it? 15 stages into the Giro d'Italia and Steven Kruijswijk, a man who has never won a Grand Tour stage and has never finished higher than seventh overall, is leading the general classification by more than two minutes.

>>> Giro d'Italia leader Steven Kruijswijk's mountain time trial bike

Now, we don't know what the future holds for the 28-year-old Dutchman, but he might not find himself in this position many more times in the future, so he might as well make the most of the rest of the race by covering himself and his bike in pink as he looks to hold onto his lead all the way to Turin.

Who is Steven Kruijswijk?

The bad news is that LottoNL-Jumbo seem to employ a team of colour-blind mechanics, who have been getting busy with their pastel pink paint over the rest day to prepare this custom Bianchi Oltre XR.2 for Kruijswijk to ride as he prepares to defend his lead through the final week of racing.

>>> How Steven Kruijswijk's winter training turned him into a Giro d'Italia contender

Reaction to the bike on Twitter was, as you would expect less than positive, being described by various users as "horrible" and "an abomination", while some even went as far as to say that they didn't want Kruijswijk to win anymore because of the bike. Which seems a little harsh.

To be fair, it was always going to be tough to combine celeste and pink, so hopefully we'll see the mechanics wheel out an all-pink Bianchi later in the week if Kruijswijk manages to maintain or even extend his lead. All we can hope is that the race leader does the right thing and switches to black shorts after rocking an all-pink skinsuit in Sunday's mountain time trial.

Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) bettered all of his general classification rivals on the crucial mountain time trial stage of the 2016 Giro d'Italia on Sunday.

Having taken the race lead after the previous day's stage, the Dutchman went into the day to try and defend his position. However, he did better than that - finishing a close second to surprise stage winner Alexander Foliforov (Gazprom-Rusvelo) and extending his lead at the top of the overall standing.

Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) had started the stage as Kruijswijk's closest rival, 41 seconds adrift overall. However, disaster struck for the Italian favourite as he dropped his chain and his rear derailleur appeared to get snapped off the frame.

Despite a swift bike change from the Astana mechanic, Nibali was already off the pace. He then had an issue with a spectator getting too close, shoving the running fan to one side. He ended the stage in 25th place and 2-10 down on Kruijswijk.

>>> Giro d'Italia 2016: Latest news, reports and info

Kruijswijk now leads the previous day's stage winner Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) by a significant two minute and 12 second advantage overall, with Nibali slipping to third at 2-51.

Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) put in a decent ride to keep hold of his fourth spot overall at 3-29.

One of the biggest losers of the day was Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale), who finished in 50th place, 3-18 down on Kruijswijk, and slipped out of the top 10.

Having made little impression on the Giro so far, the Gazprom-Rusvelo team not only won the stage with 24-year-old Russian Foliforov, but also got a fourth place with Sergey Firsanov.

>>> Giro d’Italia leader Steven Kruijswijk’s mountain time trial bike revealed

With the entire route uphill at an average of around eight per cent, all of the riders elected to ride their normal road bikes with only a few adding short, clip-on aerobars - including Kruijswijk.

The riders have the third and final rest day of the 2016 Giro on Monday, before the action resumes on Tuesday with stage 16, back into the mountains with a 132km route from Bressanone to Andalo.

Results

Giro d'Italia 2016, stage 15: Castelrotto to Alpe di Siusi, 10.8km

1. Alexander Foliforov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo in 28-39

2. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo at same time

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar at 23 secs

4. Sergey Firsanov (Rus) Gazprom-Rusvelo at 30 secs

5. Michele Scarponi (Ita) Astana at 36 secs

6. Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge at 40 secs

7. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha at 47 secs

8. Joe Dombrowski (USA) Cannondale at 52 secs

9. Bob Jungels (Lux) Etixx-QuickStep at 1-04

10. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff at 1-09

General classification after stage 15

1. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo in 60-41-22

2. Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge at 2-12

3. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana at 2-51

4. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar at 3-29

5. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff at 4-38

6. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha at 4-40

7. Andrey Amador (CRc) Movistar at 5-27

8. Bob Jungels (Lux) Etixx-QuickStep at 7-14

9. Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Dimension Data at 7-37

10. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana at 7-55

Giro d'Italia overall leader Steven Kruijswijk will tackle Sunday's stage 15 mountain time trial on an adapted Bianchi Specialissima, the Italian company's lightweight climbing machine.

Rather than go full pink, Kruijswijk's bike has subtly added touches of pink to celebrate the Dutchman's position in the maglia rosa: bar tape and Pioneer power meter.

Otherwise, the Specialissima has been left in its natural colours: black with celeste decals. The only other notable addition are the short aero bars.

A full Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and C50 wheels are also installed, as per team specification.

The big question, of course, is whether Kruijswijk will don a full pink skinsuit, helmet, gloves, glasses and socks for the tough test against the clock. A picture of the 28-year-old adjusting his Bell helmet would suggest he might not, as it only features pink highlights.

LottoNL-Jumbo also posted photos of Kruijswijk on his way to recon the 10.8km route from Castelrotto to Alpe di Siusi this morning.

After Saturday's explosive stage in the Dolomites, Kruijswijk sits 41 seconds ahead of general classification rival Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), with stage 14 winner Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) in third at one minute and 32 seconds.

It's highly likely that the top order of the GC will be significantly different after the mountain time trial, and could play a significant part in shaping the final podium.

As race leader, Kruijswijk is last man off in the time trial. Jack Bobridge (Trek-Segafredo) is the first rider up the mountain at 1.30pm local time.

It was heartbreak for Darwin Atapuma (BMC) and elation for Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo), who moved into pink on a decisive queen stage at the Giro d'Italia as Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) won the stage.

Kruijswijk attacked with Chaves on the climb of Passo Valparola, distancing Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) before contesting the finish with Georg Preidler (Giant-Alpecin).

With Nibali finishing 36 seconds down, Kruijswijk moves into the maglia rosa, with its holder on the stage - Andrey Amador (Movistar) - unable to hold the pace on a brutal day in the Dolomites.

Breakaway rider Atapuma was caught with three kilometres to go to the finish line and Chaves came round Preidler in the final metres to take the stage win.

The 37-man breakaway did not last much past the halfway mark, with the group splintering and Orica-GreenEdge's Ruben Plaza going out on his own.

The Spaniard, who won stages at the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, was chased down and eventually overtaken by Kanstantin Siutsou (Dimension Data) and Atapuma, but it was the Colombian who was to go out on his own.

Behind, the general classification battle was in full swing, with Nibali launching an attack on the Passo Valparola, immediately distancing pink jersey holder Andrey Amador - who had also been dropped on the Passo Giau - and his Movistar teammate Alejandro Valverde, who had no answer to the attacks up front.

It was then Nibali's turn to be dropped as Chaves and Kruijswijk upped the pace. The duo eased away from the Italian and worked into the lead of the riders up the road.

The game was up for Valverde and Amador, though, who saw their time gap to the leaders keep extending in the final 30km, with the Movistar leader dropping three minutes to Chaves.

At the business end of the race, though, it looked as if Atapuma would ride away with the solo win, but the chasing riders of Kruijswijk, Chaves and Preidler reeled him in and left him behind.

Preidler then looked to ease to the finish line, but Chaves held enough in reserve to sprint past the Austrian, who made his move too early.

Kruijswijk now leads from Nibali by 41 seconds, with Chaves moving up to third. The gap to Valverde now sits at over three minutes.

Giro d'Italia stage 14, Alpago - Corvara (210km)

1. Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge, 6-06-16

2. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, st

3. Georg Preidler (Aut) Giant-Alpecin, st

4. Darwin Atapuma (Col) BMC, at 6s

5. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana, at 37s

6. Kanstantin Siutsou (Blr) Dimension Data, st

7. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha, at 2-29

8. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff, st

9. Rigoberto Uran (Col) Cannondale, at 2-50

10. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 3-00

Overall standings after stage 14

1. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, 60-12-43

2. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana, at 41s

3. Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-GreenEdge, at 1-32

4. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, at 3-06

5. Andrey Amador (Crc) Movistar, at 3-15

6. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff, at 3-29

7. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha, at 3-53

8. Rigoberto Uran (Col) Cannondale, at 5-01

9. Kanstantin Siutsou (Blr) Dimension Data, at 5-38

10. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, at 5-38

Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) took the first professional win of his career on Thursday,

conquering the mountain-top finish

in Liechtenstein

at the end of stage six of the 2011 Tour de Suisse.

Twenty-four-year-old Kruijswijk accelerated away from a compact group of overall hopefuls including race leader Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) in the final 2.5km of the stage to Triesenberg.

Cunego then linked up with Levi Leipheimer (Radioshack) to chase Kruijswijk. The change in acceleration was too much for Frank Schleck (Leopard-Trek) who lost contact with Cunego.

In the final, very steep 500 metres, Leipheimer rode away from Cunego to claim second, with the Italian coming home in third.

Schleck fought back to claim sixth, with Mathias Frank (BMC Racing) putting in a strong ride after crashing earlier in the stage to finish seventh.

Cunego continues to lead the race overall. Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) sits in second place at 1-20, with Kruijswijk elevated to third.

Juan Mauricio Soler (Movistar) crashed badly during the stage leading to the race being neutralised for a short time while the situation was assessed. Stage two winner Soler, who started the day in second place overall, was air-lifted to hospital with a suspected skull fracture after colliding with a spectator. 

An early three-man escape group comprising Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step), Angel Madrazo (Movistar) and Unsausti Izagirre (Euskaltel-Euskadi) was caught near the base of the day's final climb.

Stage seven on Friday features more mountains, with the hors categorie 2383 metre Flüela Pass climb in the middle of the 222.8km stage followed by two more categorised climbs including the finish at Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis in Austria.

The UCI World Tour-level race concludes on Sunday, June 19, with a decisive 32.1km individual time trial.  

Results

Tour de Suisse 2011, stage six: Tobel-Tagerschen to Triesenberg, 157.7 km

1. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank

2. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Radioshack at 9 secs

3. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-ISD at 18 secs

4. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank at 21 secs

5. Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha at same time

6. Frank Schleck (Lux) Leopard-Trek at 30 secs

7. Mathias Frank (Swi) BMC Racing at same time

8. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank at 1-19

9. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Leopard-Trek at 1-27

10. Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin-Cervelo at 1-42

Overall classification after stage six

1. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-ISD

2. Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank at 1-23

3. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank at 1-36

4. Frank Schleck (Lux) Leopard-Trek at 1-41

5. Levi Leipheimer (USA) RadioShack at 1-59

6. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank at 2-24

7. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Leopard-Trek at 2-45

8. Mathias Frank (Swi) BMC Racing at 3-00

9. Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha at 3-11

10. Tejay Van Garderen (USA) HTC-Highroad at 3-22

Race leader Damiano Cunego

Tour de Suisse 2011: Related links

Stage five: Bozic sprints to win

Stage four: Hushovd beats Sagan to stage four win

Stage four photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage three: Sagan wins as Cunego takes lead

Stage three photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage two: Soler leads Tour de Suisse, Froome ninth overall

Cavendish and Swift line up for Tour de Suisse