Stage 16 of the Giro d’Italia was a dramatic reawakening for a race that had so far simmered more than boiled. Starting in wet conditions in Piazzola sul Brenta and finishing at altitude in San Valentino after 203 kilometres, the stage delivered a little bit of everything: a long and aggressive breakaway, crashes for key contenders, a poignant Italian victory, and a major reshuffle in the general classification.
Christian Scaroni took the win, his first at a Grand Tour, after teammate Lorenzo Fortunato shepherded him to the line. The two Astana riders had proved the strongest from the breakaway on the final climb, riding away from their companions before Fortunato gifted Scaroni the stage in return for support in the mountains classification. Behind them, chaos erupted as Richard Carapaz, Simon Yates and Derek Gee all launched decisive moves that left race leader Isaac del Toro badly exposed.
A GC day had been expected. But this one exceeded the script.
Breakaway drama and early crashes set the tone
Rain was falling as the peloton rolled out, and it wasn’t long before it began to influence the race. A large group of more than 20 riders escaped in the opening phase, with plenty of climbing specialists included. Fortunato and Scaroni were joined by Giulio Pellizzari, Pello Bilbao, Jefferson Cepeda, and David Gaudu, among others. With UAE and Visma content to let the move go, the group quickly built a gap of more than five minutes.
Disaster struck early for Ineos Grenadiers as Josh Tarling slid out on a greasy roundabout and was forced to abandon. Shortly afterwards, the first major GC casualty of the day came when Primož Roglič crashed again – his fourth incident of the race – and this time, he didn’t get back up. The 2023 Giro champion climbed into the Red Bull team car, bringing an end to a campaign that had already looked in decline.
Further up the road, Fortunato was mopping up KOM points, while behind, the group of favourites was thinned on the climbs by hard pacing from EF Education-EasyPost and Visma. When the race hit the Passo di Santa Barbara, the penultimate climb, UAE Team Emirates were visibly on the back foot. Juan Ayuso, still recovering from his crash on the Tuscan gravel, was dropped and began to lose time rapidly. His GC challenge collapsed in real time.
Photo Credit: LaPresseSan Valentino – the break holds, the GC cracks
The final climb to San Valentino was 18.2 kilometres long and featured brutal gradients in the final 2 km. By the time it began, the breakaway had been reduced to just a handful of riders. Fortunato and Scaroni, clearly the strongest of the group, worked over their rivals and eventually went clear together. The pair had already agreed on their objectives – Fortunato for the blue jersey, Scaroni for the stage – and rode with that pact intact. Scaroni had to hang on desperately in the final kilometre, but Fortunato slowed to make sure he stayed with him. They crossed the line side by side, Scaroni just ahead.
Speaking after the finish, Scaroni was full of emotion. Reflecting on the moment, he said the rain early in the stage gave him confidence, and the trust between him and Fortunato was decisive.
“Our first goal was to consolidate the KOM jersey with Lorenzo. At the bottom of the last climb, we realised we were the two strongest. Even before the last hill, we spoke and it was agreed that I would win the stage if it came down to that because he had already consolidated the jersey. He’s a man true to his word. In the last kilometre, my legs were destroyed, but he waited for me. I can’t do else than thank him for the rest of my life.”
Behind the breakaway, the GC race exploded. Richard Carapaz, who had earlier gone down in the same crash as Roglič, launched a vicious attack with around 7 km remaining. Simon Yates had already tested the waters with a pair of accelerations, but it was Carapaz’s move that really put the maglia rosa under pressure. Isaac del Toro was left isolated and quickly began to lose time. Even Egan Bernal rode past him in the final kilometre, underlining just how deep into the red the Mexican was.
Carapaz, meanwhile, pressed on. He crossed the line fourth on the stage, 1:10 ahead of Del Toro. That performance vaulted him into third overall and put the pink jersey firmly within reach.
Del Toro suffers but holds on to pink
After the finish, Del Toro admitted he’d had a bad day but saw the result in relative terms.
“It was a very hard day for everybody. I didn’t have the best legs of my life but that wasn’t an excuse. I did my best with the energy I had. I wanted to make them think that I’m 100% trying to keep this jersey. I have no regrets.”
He also confirmed what had already been visible on the road: his teammate Ayuso was no longer a factor in the race.
“He had two crashes. We tried to manage a little bit when he had a hard time on the second climb. He had a bad day. The three riders behind me on GC are dangerous. They’re different kinds of riders. We need to be careful.”
Del Toro’s comments reflected the shift in the race. For over a week, he and UAE had appeared in control. Now, that control looks fragile.
Photo Credit: LaPresseCarapaz closing in, Yates steady, Gee threatening
Carapaz, speaking briefly after the stage, kept his words simple but meaningful.
“I haven’t had the health or luck to be up here [on GC] before, and even today I had a crash. But I kept getting back up and I kept on fighting. We’ll keep on fighting til Rome.”
Simon Yates rode smartly, following the moves that mattered and choosing his moment to strike when Del Toro began to falter. He now sits just 26 seconds off the lead and knows this Giro could still swing either way. Wout van Aert had helped pace him onto the climb and into position, a move that paid off as Yates kept Del Toro in check and limited his own losses to Carapaz.
Meanwhile, Derek Gee may not have attacked like the others, but his steady pace saw him climb to fourth overall, level on time with Carapaz. He rode within himself and didn’t panic when the favourites went.
“I couldn’t follow Carapaz’s acceleration, so I just tried to ride my own pace to the top of the climb. I’m really happy with where I ended up, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Bernal and Storer still in the fight
Bernal, despite going down in a crash, rode impressively to finish 11th and move up to sixth overall. His teammate Thymen Arensman wasn’t as lucky. He crashed and limped home with a swollen knee, casting doubt on his ability to support Bernal in the days to come.
Michael Storer also moved up five places in GC. His ride was all the more impressive given that he crashed again and finished with a swollen lip. Yet, like Bernal, he managed to limit the damage and now sits seventh overall.
What next?
The GC now stands with Isaac del Toro still leading, but his margin has been slashed. Simon Yates trails by 26 seconds, Richard Carapaz by 31, and Derek Gee by 1:31. With three decisive mountain stages to come – including the Mortirolo on stage 17 – the 2025 Giro d’Italia has cracked wide open. Del Toro still wears the pink jersey, but the psychological shift is clear. He’s under pressure. Carapaz is charging. Yates is waiting. And the Giro, for all its early hesitations, is finally alive.
2025 Giro d’Italia Stage 16 result
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