Kreuziger Wins Giro Stage 19

Roman Kreuziger battled hard to claim victory on a brutally tough stage 19 at the Giro d'Italia after a brave attack.

The Czech rider bounced back from a significant time loss on Wednesday to attack on the penultimate Passo Lavaze climb, digging in to hold off his rivals on the steep ramps of the Alpe di Pampeago.

Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Barracuda) crossed the line second to further his claims to overall victory, putting 13 seconds into Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) who, third across the line, held on to the maglia rosa by just 17 seconds.

Despite a number of contenders knowing they had to distance Hesjedal ahead of the final stage time trial, it was the Canadian himself who went on the attack in the closing kilometres, forging clear alongside rival Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) on the toughest climbing test of the race thus far.

Just behind were Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Rigoberto Urán (Team Sky), Basso's squad again setting the pace for most of the day before the Italian was left to go it alone on the final climb.

Despite all featuring in the same picture in the final 200 metres the time gaps among the GC contenders saw Scarponi (+1:39) leapfrog Basso (+1:45) into third, while Urán (+3:21) bravely maintained his place in the top five.

It was no surprise to see riders strewn out across the 198-kilometre parcours, the first of two epic mountain tests which saw 17 riders go clear in the early going with most of the major teams represented.

The group built up a healthy advantage of 10 minutes over the third category Castelnuovo as the peloton set into a rhythm behind.

Best-placed man in the group at 12:25 down Sandy Casar (FDJ-BigMat) kicked on from his fellow escapees late on, dragging with him Stefano Pirazzi (Colnago-CSF) in a move which lasted until deep onto the final climb.

The favourites were content to keep their powder dry first time over the brutal Alpe di Pampeago, each clinging on as the peloton slowly decreased in size, with sixth-placed Benat Intxausti (Movistar) the most high-profile casualty on the day after slipping back early on.

Sensing his chance to strike Kreuziger headed up the road on the penultimate climb along with Dario Cataldo (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), while one by one the original group of escapees, including Team Sky's Juan Antonio Flecha, were dragged back.

With an elite group of favourites once again going toe-to-toe on the final ramps it was Scarponi who made the first to attempt to break clear with three short, sharp attacks.

Hesjedal weathered the storm before attacking himself after his Garmin-Barracuda squad had taken up the running at the foot of the climb, believing with each passing kilometre that he is able to win the Giro.

The race now moves on to a similarly brutal stage on Saturday which culminates in the highest ever Grand Tour mountain-top finish on the Passo dello Stelvio.