Photo Essay: Another brilliant Giro d'Italia

Tom Dumoulin made no bones about his aspirations for the 99th edition Giro d’Italia — “The big start in the Netherlands, with the opening time trial, is one of the reasons I wanted to ride the Giro,” he said. Photo: Iri Greco | BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Stage 2 started in Arnhem with Dutchman Tom Dumoulin basking in the pink glow. Photo: Iri Greco | BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Marcel Kittel took the win on the line in Nijmegen only one second short of taking the maglia rosa from Dumoulin. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Dumoulin rode easy in the peloton before the sprint finale that would see him lose the pink jersey. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

The German sprinter seized the maglia rosa on the last day in the Netherlands. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

With a decisively steep climb near the finish in Praia a Mare, Dumoulin and Steven Kruijswijk battled hard to the line for precious seconds. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Passing of the maglia rosa — Kittel took the jersey from the shoulders of Dumoulin on stage 3 only to return it on the conclusion of stage 4 in Italy. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

On the first mountaintop finish of the 2016 Giro, Tom Dumoulin was challenged all the way to the line in Roccaraso. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Stage 8 brought the fight for pink to the white gravel roads of Tuscany where Gianluca Brambilla forced the pace on the stage into Arezzo, seeing Dumoulin fall back to 11th place overall. Photo: Sonoko Tanaka / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Gianluca Brambilla redeemed himself from his near win at Strade Bianche with an inspired solo attack on stage 8. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Brambilla became the 99th-edition Giro’s first Italian to don the maglia rosa. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Brambilla surprised the critics on stage 9 during the challenging Chianti time trial course keeping his maglia rosa by one second over teammate Bob Jungels. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Brambilla played the perfect teammate by sacrificing the pink jersey in order to set up Jungels for overall victory as the race moved into the mountains. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Jungels rode into the mixed zone after the finish line, trailed by a flurry of media frenzy as he became the maglia rosa on stage 10 in Sestola. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

An emotional Bob Jungels took the podium as the first Luxemburger to wear the maglia rosa in over 50 years. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

As the race moved into the Dolomites, maglia rosa Jungels rode safely amid his teammates on the first category 1 climb of the day. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

The Movistar duo of Alejandro Valverde and Andrey Amador put Jungels under pressure on the stage’s final climb seeing Amador ride into pink. Photo: Sonoko Tanaka / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Jungels gave it his all but still lost the lead on stage 13 into Cividale del Fruili. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Team Movistar controlled the bunch with their man in pink, Amador, on the queen stage of the 2016 Giro. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Amador was dropped by the leaders near the summit of the Passo Giau costing him the short-lived maglia rosa on stage 14 in the Dolomites. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

An aggressive Kruijswijk animated the stage over the final two climbs leaving his rivals behind and taking over the race lead. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Alejandro Valverde put in an impressive time trial during the 10.8 uphill grind to Alpe di Siusi coming in third place. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

An unfortunate mechanical on the ride up to Alpe di Siusi cost Vincenzo Nibali precious time in his fight for pink. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Kruijswijk put a stamp on the race with a strong showing in the uphill time trial to Alpe di Siusi. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Kruijswijk, flanked by overall contenders Valverde and Ilnur Zakarin, tackled the final ascent without letting his guard down. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Valverde, in his first career Giro d’Italia, took the stage win at Andalo. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

The punishing 20 percent climb on the circuits in Pinerolo tested the top men, but was not enough to cause any shake-ups in the overall. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Valverde brought home the favorites with his signature sprint finish with Kruijswijk safely tucked in behind him. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Steven Kruijswijk signed on for stage 19 under a watchful eye in Pinerolo. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Vincenzo Nibali led the top men of this Giro over the Cima Coppi of the 99th edition — the Colle dell’Agnello — at 2,744 meters above sea level. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Nibali attacked hard on the final climb to Risoul and capitalized on the crash of Kruijswijk on the descent of the Agnello to win the stage and move up to second in the overall. Photo: Arne Mill / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

A heart-broken Kruijswijk arrived in Risoul bloodied and battered after his high-speed crash on the descent of the Col de Agnello. Photo: Thomas van Bracht / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Esteban Chaves became another rider to hit the big time as part of the Colombian renaissance in cycling by taking over the maglia rosa on stage 19. Photo: Arne Mill / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

With only stage 20 left as an opportunity to take the maglia rosa, Vincenzo Nibali attacked hard leading into the final climb at Sant’Anna di Viladio. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Chaves found the pressure of the maglia rosa and the relentless tempo of the Astana team all too much as he was dropped in the final kilometers of the last mountain stage. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

The Shark, Vincenzo Nibali, put on a show of bravado and determination on the climb into Sant’Anna di Viladio, leaving Chaves and all his rivals in arrears. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

The Nibali fan club rejoiced atop the Sant’Anna di Viladio as their campionissimo bounced back to win the Giro in brilliant style. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Vincenzo Nibali smiled at fans surrounding the podium as he soaked in his moment of triumph in a Giro most thought was out of reach for the Italian hero. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Nibali emerged from the team bus on the final morning in Cuneo to find a new pink bike and the swarm of media and fans he has become all too familiar with. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Vincenzo Nibali crossed the finish in Torino to claim his second overall title at the Giro d’Italia and his fourth grand tour win. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Nibali raised the Trofeo Sensa Fine as the 2016 winner of the Giro d’Italia. Photo: Jim Fryer / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Vincenzo Nibali and the Astana Pro Team claimed the overall GC and the overall team prize in Torino on the 99th edition of the race. Photo: Iri Greco / BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

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Photo Essay: Another brilliant Giro d’Italia

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