May 25, 2004 – On a beautiful sunny day in the Dolomites, the 147 riders left in this year’s edition of the Giro d’Italia to face the first of four difficult days in the mountains. Today the four major climbs are the Forcella Staulanza (km 83), Valparola (km 115), Passo Furcia (km 160) and the Terento (km 207) with an average gradient of 7.1%.

Seventeen riders rode clear at the 21K mark and managed to build up a fourteen minute lead as Saeco and Alessio rode a comfortable tempo behind. On the difficult Furcia climb (which has a steep 17% section) Niki Aebersold attacked the break to lead solo. Behind in the peloton, it was Gilberto Simoni, the defending Giro champ, who attacked bringing with him Basso, Garate, teammate Cunego and race leader Popovych.

It would be Damiano Cunego of Saeco who would attack later in the stage and blow right through the morning breakaway riders bringing only Nocentini with him. Cunego would also catch Aebersold and drop him on way to a solo win. Besting teammate Simoni by 2:38 and race leader Popovych by 3:50, Cunego has regained the race leadership with his third stage win.

Results

Provisional

1. Damiano Cunego (ITA) Saeco, 6.10.12

2. Rinaldo Nocentini (ITA) Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, 1.16

3. Alexandre Moos (SWI) Phonak Hearing Systems, 1.38

4. Raffaele Illiano (ITA) Colombia-Selle Italia

5. Giuseppe Di Grande (ITA) Formaggi Pinzolo Fiave’

6. Julio A. Perez Cuapio (MEX) Ceramiche Panaria-Margres

7. Christophe Brandt (BEL) Lotto-Domo

8. Luis Filipe Laverde Jimenez (COL) Formaggi Pinzolo Fiave, 1.58

9. Ruggero Marzoli (ITA) Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, 2.29

10. Giuliano Figueras (ITA) Ceramiche Panaria-Margres

11. Rubens Bertogliati (SWI) Saunier Duval-Prodir

12. Serguei Gontchar (UKR) De Nardi, 2.39

13. Wladimir Belli (ITA) Lampre

14. Gilberto Simoni (ITA) Saeco

15. Fortunato Baliani (ITA) Ceramiche Panaria-Margres

16. Tadej Valjavec (SLO) Phonak Hearing Systems

General classification after stage 16

1. Damiano Cunego (ITA) Saeco, 73.01.21

2. Serguei Gontchar (UKR) De Nardi, 1.14

3. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago, 2.22

4. Gilberto Simoni (ITA) Saeco, 2.38

5. Giuliano Figueras (ITA) Ceramiche Panaria-Margres, 3.31

6. Bradley McGee (AUS) FDJeux.com, 3.52

7. Wladimir Belli (ITA) Lampre

8. Stefano Garzelli (ITA) Vini Caldirola-Nobili Rubinetterie

9. Dario David Cioni (ITA) Fassa Bortolo, 4.39

10. Franco Pellizotti (ITA) Alessio-Bianchi, 5.31