Hello, and welcome back to Cycling Weekly's live blog of a crucial stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia, which could go a long way to deciding the race. There are 4,908 metres of climbing today across 165.8km, more than Mont Blanc, and three first category climbs. Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is still in the pink jersey as things stand, with Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) hot on his heels.
We'll have a full report for you on the site shortly.
Thanks for joining again today.
Crash in the finale -
Pellizzari has gone down.
This has been a bad day for Yates, this is far from ideal ahead of the Finestre tomorrow.
Del Toro takes second ahead of Carapaz.
Here come Carapaz and Del Toro now.
An amazing result for the Frenchman, he's been out front for most of the day.
1km to go: Prodhomme has got this in the bag.
30 seconds now between Del Toro and Carapaz back to Yates.
4km to go: Prodhomme has gone over the summit.
This move from Carapaz and Del Toro is pushing Yates out of contention in this Giro at the moment. Yates is 20 seconds back down the road.
5km to go: Carapaz is still with Del Toro.
Gee is still trying to get across. Yates is struggling here.
6km to go: Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) is trying to get across to them with Yates on his wheel.
The Ecuadorian can't shake Del Toro at the moment.
No sign of Yates.
ATTACK:
Carapaz attacks from the GC group, Del Toro is with him.
10km to go: The GC group are onto the last climb now and Prodhomme is still up the road with over a minute and a half.
12km to go: Prodhomme is well into this final climb. The GC group don't seem interested in the stage anymore, the Frenchman's lead has grown again.
14km to go: Prodhomme has a minute now on the rest of the race.
20km to go: Prodhomme is the last man standing at the front.
He's got 55 seconds left.
That was just a teaser as Carapaz has sat up.
Del Toro is trying to get on terms.
ATTACK:
23km to go: no significant attacks have happened yet... will anyone try something before the top? It's getting to now or never, for today anyway.
24km to go: that group of favourites, by the way:
24.4km to go: it's 4km to the top of the Col de Joux, the hardest bit on its way now. There's 1:06 between Nicolas Prodhomme out front and the pink jersey group, which has just 14 riders in it now. Will someone make a move? Or are they all waiting for tomorrow?
25km to go: Pellizzari (Red Bull) looks like he's getting ready to attack out of the GC group.
26km to go: Del Toro is in fourth wheel in this group, is he going to try something?
UAE Emirates have taken up the pace now in the GC group, Lemmen and Kruijswijk have dropped away.
The GC group is less than a minute now from the leaders.
27 km to go: Prodhomme has attacked again but this is futile now, it really is all over for the break.
29km to go: The leaders look exhausted now. They may well get caught before the summit.
I think Simon Yates is going to attack towards the summit here, not sure Del Toro will be able to initially respond. He's a plucky character, the Mexican, and neither Yates or Richard Carapaz will want to take him to the bottom of the final climb.
29km to go: Antonio Tiberi has gone from the front. Prodhomme has pushed on as the leader's advantage drops to a minute and a half now.
Bart Lemmen is back in the GC group for Visma. The Dutch rider has gone straight to the front for a quick turn to help out his team.
Egan Bernal is also now hanging off the back.
31km to go: Visma are really hammering this in the GC group, they've taken almost a minute out of the leader's advantage. Adam Yates (UAE) is slipping and sliding off the back.
The young Brit is 11th on GC at the moment.
33km to go: Max Poole (Picnic-PostNL) is starting to look really fatigued on the climb. He's got multiple teammates around him, encouraging him on.
Marco Brenner (Tudor) is the next man to abandon.
35km to go: Tiberi, Verona and Prodhomme have jumped away from the rest of the break and are now into the Col de Joux.
38km to go: Everyone is in the brief flat section now before beginning the Col de Joux.
The break's lead has gone upto 2:58 now on that descent.
Here's who is left in the GC group:
Pellizarri (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
Caruso (Bahrain Victorious)
Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)
Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers)
Castroviejo (Ineos Grenadiers)
Gee (Israel-Premier Tech)
Rubio (Movistar)
Bardet and Poole (Picnic-PostNL)
Piganzoli (Polti-VisitMalta)
Kelderman, Kruijswijk, Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling)
Del Toro, Majka, McNulty, Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
47km to go: The break are ripping it up down this descent and are almost at the bottom.
RAI Sports are reporting that Intermarche have had a team car break down mid-race.
Not ideal at all!
Worth mentioning that Eulálio was the first man over the Mortirolo climb the other day. The young Portuguese rider has had a really impressive Giro, even if he has now packed it in and climbed off the bike. Chapeau.
Two more climbs left to go today.
The peloton are onto the descent now.
Afonso Oliveira Eulálio has abandoned for Bahrain Victorious
55km to go: The break have gone over the summit.
Visma are leading the GC group towards the top now.
We're around 300 metres from the summit.
57km to go: Prodhomme is trying to distance the other few guys still left in the break for Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale.
Visma have got both Kruijswijk and Wilco Kelderman alongside Simon Yates.
57km to go: When will Simon Yates attack? That is the question.
Kruijswijk is still on the front of the GC group. The Dutchman is doing some real damage here.
58km to go: Bart Lemmen (Visma) and Chris Harper (Jayco) are also now hanging off the back.
Only 15 riders are left now in the GC group. Carapaz has no teammates left for EF which will be why Steinhauser has started to drop back.
60km to go: Visma and Israel-Premier Tech have moved to the front of the peloton. Max Poole (Picnic-PostNL) is hanging off the back as a result of the acceleration.
Visma have got Steven Kruijswijk leading the charge. The high pace being set by the Dutch veteran has cut the time deficit to the leaders to 2:05
Steinhauser has been dropped from the leaders now for EF.
62km to go: Bart Lemmen is back at his team car in the break, picking up much needed water and ice as the climb continues.
64.9 km to go: Rafferty is now back at the front of the remnants of the day's peloton. We've got all the usual suspects in there for now, including race leader Isaac del Toro.
The break have caught him but Harper evidently is feeling very good today.
We're about halfway up this climb now.
65km to go: Chris Harper is on the offensive from the break and has really pushed on.
These are the last men standing at the head of the race for now:
Tiberi and Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious)
Moniquet (Cofidis)
Prodhomme (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)
Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost)
Germani (Groupama-FDJ)
Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty)
Verona (Lidl-Trek)
Cattaneo (Soudal Quick-Step)
Harper (Jayco AlUla)
Lemmen (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
Adam Blythe on the TNT Sports motorbike says this is the hottest day he's experienced on the in-race motorbike in the last five years.
67km to go: Romain Bardet has just been dropped from the break, clearly fatigued after his efforts the day before yesterday into Bormio.
The break's lead has really diminished on this climb. Darren Rafferty has dropped like a stone for EF and has obviously been told to sit up for Carapaz shortly.
68km to go: This is very interesting indeed. EF have moved to the front of the peloton with Owain Doull and started to really ramp things up.
Tudor Pro Cycling and Red Bull are driving the tempo in the bunch behind the break.
Red Bull will be looking to move Giulio Pellizzari up in the GC if they can.
70km to go: David Gaudu is suffering in the break and already dropping away.
Thank you, Adam, for holding fort for the last hour.
It's Tom here back and ready to take you to the finish.
74km to go: the second first category climb of the day is looming into view - the Col Saint-Pantaléon, which is 16.5km at 7.2%. It's more its length than its gradient which is the killer, but it's yet another leg-sapping one on this hot day. This is the antepenultimate day, after all.
78km to go: Alessandro Tonelli of Polti VisitMalta won that intermediate sprint, by the way, not that it means anything apart from some prize money now - Mads Pedersen has that competition sewn up.
79km to go: for those of your wondering, Tom Pidcock has made it back to the peloton at the base of the climb. I suppose that's the advantage of being a demon descender.
82km to go: the energy seems to have rather gone out of the breakaway through the feed zone. If they're to challenge, they need to get organised and ride hard. No time to stop for a sandwich.
84km to go: It's that bit of a Grand Tour where the helicopter is more interested in the scenery than the action, and who could blame them, the Valle d'Aosta is quite pretty.
89km to go: the race is going a lot faster downhill than uphill, let me tell you. Things will kick off again in about 20km, I'd imagine, so now is your chance to grab some lunch if you've been glued to the screen.
95km to go: the break and the peloton are now on the descent, which looks pretty technical. Things have calmed for the minute, but remember there are still two first category climbs to come.
99km to go: Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana) has attacked from the breakaway in search of the mountains points at the top of the Col Tzecore. That means that the blue mountains jersey is definitely going to the Astana team. By the way, the break's advantage is 2:39, so I think the win will come from the reduced peloton, at this stage.
101km to go: now Mads Pedersen has definitely been dropped from the lead group, he's being caught by the bunch. I think there's still three other Lidl-Trek riders in there. And there's some beautiful snow on the peaks of the Alps behind.
102km to go: in the peloton, Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) appears to be struggling on this climb - perhaps it's the heat, but one to monitor.
102km to go: Irish champion Darren Rafferty (EF Education-EasyPost) is on the front of the bunch, which has whittled down to 27 riders now. He, and his teammate Georg Steinhauser, will be up there to help Richard Carapaz later on.
103km to go: 4.2km to go to the top, and the race is on the steepest it here. Van Aert and Marcellusi have both started to drop off the back as it really ramps up. I do not blame them.
It's worth saying that today is an absolutely boiling day, the cameras can't stop finding people asking for more water or pouring some over themselves. Bit hot for a first category climb.
105km to go: somehow, there's still over 5km left to go of this climb, and the steepest bit is coming now. The break is working hard to build its lead.
106km to go: that giant break has 2:37 on the peloton, by the way.
107km to go: I'm going to try and list all of the break for you - there are 29 of them, so I'll go last names only:
108km to go: Adam here while Tom takes his lunch break. Mads Pedersen hasn't quite been dropped completely yet, he's struggling to stay in touch, though. Meanwhile Tom Pidcock has changed his bike. There's still over 8km left of the climb.
Mads Pedersen has dropped from the leaders.
109km to go: The break's advantage has risen to more than two minutes now.
EF and Visma still have two men apiece in this move. As Steve Cummings just said on comms though, Steinhauser (EF) and Lemmen (Visma) have been in the break from the start and could soon drop away.
11km to go: The break is already beginning to crumble on this climb, even though we've got a decent tailwind behind the riders. It looks boiling hot out there today.
Bike change for Bardet - outstanding push from his DS, Matt Winston, to get him going again.
113km to go: We're onto the Col Tzecore now, the first of the monster climbs on the menu.
There's 33 riders in this group in total. Lidl-Trek have four men in there.
114km to go: The huge chase group has made contact with the four leaders. A few big names are in there: Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), Dani Martinez (Red Bull), Romain Bardet (Picnic-PostNL), Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) and Cristian Scaroni (XDS-Astana).
We've now got a large chase group, including Pedersen again, that's gradually formed in the valley. The lead four are still up the road and have 1:26 now on the peloton.
124km to go: Steinhauser led the break over the first intermediate sprint point.
Pedersen came out of the peloton to take fifth, meaning that he has now wrapped up the points classification. It will be mathematically impossible for anyone to catch him now before Sunday.
Ineos are trying to make something happen on the front of the bunch. Thymen Arensman has put in a few digs, trying to force a gap.
135km to go: As they approach the bottom of the descent, the lead four have pushed their gap up to almost 45 seconds now as they get onto the valley roads.
140km to go: The chase group was caught as they crested the climb by the main field. Alessandro Tonelli (Polti-VisitMalta) has attacked over the remnants of the chase group and is thundering along at the moment. The Italian is 30 seconds away from the break.
141km to go: Cattaneo led the break over the top of the climb earlier and they're now well into the descent.
Anyway, enough of the beer chat.
149km to go: Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), Remy Rochas (Groupama-FDJ), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Filippo Zana (Jayco-AlUla) and Lorenzo Fortunato (Astana) have all jumped out of the peloton. Verona is with them after his early atack. This new chase group is about 29 seconds from the head of the race.
The start town today, Biella, is where one of the best Italian lagers, Menabrea, comes from. Highly recommend it if you've not had it before.
151km to go: We're just a few KM now from the top of the Croce Sera, the first ascent of the day.
That fragmented chase group, containing Pidcock, has been caught. Verona and Scaroni are both trying to get across to the front four. The break has 36 seconds at the moment.
153km to go: As things stand, Lemmen and Steinhauser up the road this early is ideal for both Simon Yates and Richard Carapaz in the GC battle.
154km to go: Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek) and Scaroni are now trying to move the front end of the bunch.
The chase group has swelled in numbers but it's a little messy with the peloton almost within touching distance from them.
Shock horror - Lorenzo Fortunato and Cristian Scaroni (XDS Astana) are also both in that second group now with Pidcock. Those two have loved an attack during this Giro.
155km to go: A four man group containing Pidcock and Tratnik is just behind them, but the peloton look like they'll bring this all back together.
There will be more attacks almost instantly when this all joins up.
156km to go: Prodhomme, Steinhauser, Cattaneo and Lemmen are all going to get caufght, they can't get more than 10 seconds at the moment.
Tratnik has dropped away, it looks warm in the Valle d'Aosta today.
158km to go: Tom Pidcock is trying to move across now for Q36.5
It seems it is Bart Lemmen from Visma.
160km to go: the three up front have been joined by a Soudal Quick-Step rider and one from Visma-Lease a Bike - the latter might be Bart Lemmen.
161km to go: the riders are already on the Croce Serra, by the way. It's going to be a loooong day of riding.
162km to go: Early attacks from riders including Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), but there is a group of three up the road already - Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Nicola Prodhome (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost). They have 30 seconds on the peloton.
There are five classified climbs today - the Croce Serra (11.3km at 4.6%), the Col Tzecore (15.8km at 7.2%), the Col Saint-Pantaléon (16.5km at 7.2%), the Col de Joux (15.3km at 6.9%) and the Antagnod (9.5km at 4.7%). The first is a third category, the middle three are all first category, while the final one is a second category.
My colleague Patrick has written a paean on why you should be watching all of today's stage, and you really should be.
Before the start is actually given, Simon Yates (Visma-Lease a Bike) has already changed his bike. He'll be hoping that's the last of his misfortune for today. He currently sits in third place overall.
Just before the stage starts, here's your reminder of the general classification!
Nico Denz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) won Thursday's stage 18, which was a bit sleepy in terms of the overall action, but the breakaway was fun, even if in the end, Denz kind of did just... ride off.
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