And I'm not at all dissapointed with the mountain stage. Gutierrez was never going to be up there challenging for it. Though, I think if I'd sent him on a training camp in the mountains before the Giro, then he'd probably have been in with a chance.
Hilly and short, so I have a chance at the stage and will do my best to overhaul Alberto. There is a 10' bonus to the winner of the stage, so if I am to win I need to open up a gap of just under 30 seconds on Alberto.
We work with Astana and Euskaltel at the front most of the day to make sure that a break does not get away. With 20k the pack is closing in quickly on the breakaway and the stage is set for the final battle.
Under the 10k to go banner and Thomas Lovkvist puts in a big attack. Cadel Evans, in the orange mountains jersey, decides now is the time for him to make his move.
We have 3 guys on the front, including Rojas, and they ride harder than they have all season in a bid to bring the Australian back.
5k to go and we have him, just as the road begins to slope upwards. Lovkvist tries again, but there is very little left in his legs and he is swept up quickly.
With just over 2k to go, only two riders remain out front. They are riding on empty though, and when Cobo launches himself out of the pack I know I must go with him. True to form, Alberto tries to take my wheel.
Cobo is very strong today and inside the final kilometer he is holding onto the lead.
Cobo starts to fade though, I stamp down hard on the pedals knowing that victory is only 300m away.
I see the blue of the Astana bike and know that Alberto is trying to come through.
I feel the anger again and make one last huge effort.
I may not have managed to take the overall from Alberto, but I have finished this race with back to back stage wins and shown the doubters that I will be a force in July at the Tour.
Disappointing with the maglia rosa, but you didn't except him to win the giro? Nice work by Valverde too! I'm sure this story will hold on at least a season!
Stage 15 to Trento should be a murderous ride. The riders go over six serious climbs, including the 11.8-kilometre Passo di San Pellegrino, the 9.8-kilometre Passo Giau and the finale, the 13.5 kilometres of the Passo Fedaia.
We have decided to try and get Jose Rujano in a break today. Firstly, we would like to put him in the green jersey of the best climber. And secondly, he may be able to pick up a stage win on a day like today if he can get a big enough gap.
He battles it out with Soler for the points on the first climb, and unlike Soler does not sit up once over the top.
A small group of riders come after him and he is in the break of the day.
Rujano is first over the Passo San Pellegrino, the second of the day's major climbs.
At the bottom of the Passo Giau it is evident the pack are wary of this group and have only let the lead climb to just under 4'00.
Over the top and Rujano takes maximum points again.
The pack are closing in though and are now only 3 minutes behind. Gutierrez, helped by Arroyo is still feeling fairly comfortable in the favorites group. Arroyo is starting to feel the pace.
Over the Passo Falzarego with 40k remaining and Rujano once again takes the maximum points. The pack is just under two minutes behind and we ask him to ease up and wait for Gutierrez, as we think it unlikely the break will stay away. Arroyo has nothing left to give Gutierrez.
It is time for the Fedaia and Gutierrez is still hanging tough. 6k to go and Kirchen sparks the move that will see the pack splinter.
5k to go and Gutierrez, protected by Rujano, is going all out to try and secure a high overall place.
3.5k to go and Pellizotti and Soler have managed to get a gap on the pack.
Gutierrez is pushing himself to the limit as he tries to limit the damage to his hopes on the overall.
1k to go and Leipheimer is fighting to close the gap to the two leaders.
He has dropped Damiano Cunego!
The American cannot catch the two leaders though, and it is Pellizotti who outsprints Soler to take a very impressive stage victory.
For Cunego, this could well be the day he lost the Giro.
And for Gutierrez, even though today was better than yesterday, he has still lost another chunk of time to the climbers.
He's still in the Top 10, but it will be a miracle if he can stay there the rest of the race.
Jose Rujano did a lot to wipe out the memories of a shocking first 10 days in the Giro today. He captured the Mountains jersey and led Gutierrez up most of the Passo Fedaia.
Yes! Go for the mountains jersey Try to get Gutierrez in the soft break if he's more than 10 minutes behind, maybe with Rujano, then you can get a good spot overall
The only thing good about this stage for the riders is the length - just under 13km. But, it is a beast of a climb, and more so, after the previous two hard days in the mountains.
Jose Rujano in the green of the best climber in the race is the first good climber to have a go at the course. He comfortably sets the best time of the day.
So good in fact, that our other climber, Arroyo is not able to get within a minute.
In fact, Rujano's time survives until Zaugg of Gerolsteiner betters it. As Gutierrez sets off, 10th last, Rujano is still second.
Gutierrez rides hard, but this is not a course to suit his abilities. He eventually settles for 38th just over 2 minutes down.
In the meantime, Zaugg's time has been bettered as the favorites battle it out for more precious seconds.
Pellizotti cannot repeat his victory from yesterday and with only Dekker, Cunego and Leipheimer on the course, Zubeldia is in front.
Dekker is a little off the pace though and at the finish Cunego is has him in his sights.
Cunego is into the lead and looks to have responded perfectly after yesterdays disappointment. He lowers the best time by 36'.
Leipheimer is riding strong too, and he is not too far behind Cunego. It will be very, very close...
Perhaps, the last chance for the sprinters in this race. It's also short and comes after a rest day. On the other hand, there was a lot of grumbling about Monday's TT, so it's possible the riders may decide to take an extra day off.
With that in mind, we decide to try and put someone in the break, just in case. We think about Gutierrez, but we are unsure whether he will be let go and he will need all of his strength for the final two days in the mountains. So, Francisco Perez, once again is the man that makes it into the break for us.
70k to go and the moment of truth has arrived. With the lead at 7'14 will Rabobank or Liquigas move up and take over at the front from Astana?
They don't and with 50k to go the lead is up to nine and a half minutes. It looks as if this one is going all the way and Astana will spend the whole day at the front.
Inside the final 20k and there is no doubt the escapees will take the stage today. 14k to go and Gustav Larsson decides to try and launch himself away from the break. Ivan Velasco of Euskaltel and Olivier Kaisen of Silence go after him. These are probably 3 of the strongest riders in the break, and we are not happy that Perez is so far down the paceline.
He decides to wait and with 8k to go it looks as if Larsson and Velasco will be caught. Kaisen though has opened a big gap.
Perez decides the time has come and tries to bridge the gap. Into the final 3k and does Kaisen have the legs?
And he does. Just.
The peloton comes in nearly 8 minutes down led home by Oscar Freire. There is no drama and all the main players arrive together.
Today's stage will end in Varese and could well see a break stay away if yesterday is anything to go by. For us, Rujano will be trying to get some mountain points on the day's first climb. If the race is together at the end, then Gutierrez will try and do something, though we have all but given up hope of the points jersey.
3k to the summit and Rujano is well positioned. There have been attempts to escape, and Rujano has tried already, but the pack has started today in lively fashion and none have stuck.
Hincapie goes, but Rujano bides his time. When others attack, he knows now is the moment.
He is still not recovered from his earlier efforts and fails to take any points. The same goes for Soler too, who leaves his effort too late.
Down the other side though and Rujano manages to get himself a break the pack look happy to let go.
Rujano is in this break to try and take the KOM points on the next climb. He times his move to perfection at the top of the climb and takes the maximum three points.
There are 74k to go at this stage and the break has a lead of just under 5 minutes. We decide Rujano has little chance of making it to the line and tell him to sit up and save his energy for the battles ahead. Today is a day for a puncheur.
30k to go, with Rujano pack in the pack, the 9 escapees still have a lead of 2'30. Lampre and Rabobank are doing the work on the front.
They pull the break back, but it doesn't look as if they've done enough. 5k to go and Frohlinger is going to be very difficult to catch.
Pietro Caucchioli puts in an attack. Schleck responds. Cunego jumps and Gutierrez thinks why not?
Schleck shows the explosive power that won him Amstel and La Fleche last month, but the big guns have left it too late and Frohlinger resists a comeback from Hincapie to take the stage.
Still, Gutierrez has taken a little time back from his rivals and Rujano is back in the KOM jersey, so we can be fairly pleased with our day's work.
The race will arrive on Monte Pora for the first time in its history. The climb is 'only' 6.35 kilometres long but comes on the heels of the Passo della Presolana.
Gutierrez will look to limit his losses today, and Rujano will try and defend the climbers jersey.
We decide the best way for Rujano to defend the climber's jersey is to get in the break. Here he is, in the green, trying to slip away with a big group just after the intermediate sprint.
11 riders make it into the break, but the pack does not let the lead get too big. Rabobank, Lampre and Astana collaborate at the front most of the day, so that the lead is at 9'34 as the escapees hit the lower slopes of the Passo del Vivione. There are still 86 mountainous kilometers to go.
Gutierrez is comfortable towards the front of the pack, but knows the next 80k may make or break his attempt at the Top 10.
Astana and Lampre begin to turn the screw a little and it is not long before riders begin to drop off the back of the pack.
2k to go to the summit and it looks as if Rujano should be able to extend his lead over Soler - at least for the moment.
Just over 800m to the summit and Rujano is making his way to the front, when the Gerolsteiner rider Sebastian Lang puts in an attack.
Rujano goes after him and hopes he will not come to regret the missed opportunity here.
There is still just over 4 minutes back to the pack, which is down to about 60 riders as it goes over the summit. Gutierrez is there - but he is isolated. The 3 other riders we have left in the race - Arroyo, Perez and Imanol Erviti have all been dropped.
30k to go and the gap is still 4 minutes. Cunego surprises everyone as he launches himself out of the pack.
Soler follows and so too does Frank Schleck. If these 3 get together then Astana have a problem. Colom and Ivanov work like dogs trying to keep them close.
Cunego is strong though and over the top of the Presolana he has a minute on the chasers. Soler, surprsingly; and Rujano and the remnants of the day's break, unsurprisingly; are swept up on the climb too.
Gutierrez goes over this climb with the main group and even feels strong enough close to the summit to mark an attack from Garzelli.
Only Kirchen, Pellizotti, Schleck, Leipheimer (who decides the time has come to take things into his own hands 1.5k from the summit) and Cunego are out front.
The Gutierrez group reaches the foot of Monte Pora and up the road, Leipheimer has brought the gap to Cunego down under a minute.
Gutierrez is on his own today and he pushes a big gear all the way up the final slope. He hangs on fairly well too.
Meanwhile, up front, Cunego has pushed himself too hard and blown. Leipheimer has caught him, and now the Little Prince is struggling to hold his wheel.
The American is too strong for the Italian and as Leipheimer crosses the line, he knows that his first GT victory is almost within his grasp.
Gutierrez has put in a magnificent ride too - and follows Soler across the line, ahead of some much better climbers.
