Blazin’ Saddles: Bora target Carapaz, Landa on the charge - Things to look out for in final week of the Giro d’Italia

A week ago the top 12 riders were separated by 1min 27sec; now there’s a chasm of over nine minutes between Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz in pink and the Czech climber Jan Hirt down in twelfth. Realistically, only five riders can now win this Giro, with just one minute separating Carapaz and Hirt’s Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert teammate Domenico Pozzovivo in fifth.

While there are only two more summit finishes on the menu, another 16 more categorised climbs – including the highest of the race, the Passo Pordoi – will ensure that the ultimate destiny of the maglia rosa may well come down to the final time trial in Verona next Sunday. Ad/> There is, of course, so much more to play for than the pink jersey – with the blue king of the mountains jersey competition in rude health even if the maglia ciclamino and white jersey classifications look done and dusted.

But with a raft of riders now looking to save their races in the way Guilio Ciccone did at Cogne – or to sign off with a bang as Vincenzo Nibali threatened to do one day earlier at Torino – the next six days promise to be quite special. Giro d'ItaliaGiro d'Italia Stage 16 — Route map, how to watch as thunderstorms await5 HOURS AGO Let’s run through the main talking points and things to look out for from Stages 16 to 21.

Ciccone takes emotional win on Stage 15 as GC favourites take it easy Yates, Carapaz and him?! – Five big winners from Stage 14 thriller Bora to try and put Ineos on the ropes Saturday’s stupendous circuit race outside Torino saw Bora-Hansgrohe light the torch paper and watch the entire peloton burn. The gaps were enormous: Juan Pedro Lopez, the pink jersey, lost over four minutes for 10th place while Alejandro Valverde, just two places back in twelfth, shipped