Stage Favourite:
*Gadret

Little TV coverage survived of this stage due to terrible weather conditions.... however, the camera did roll...

With 30 kilometres to go on the penultimate climb, Nieve of Tebag put in attack after attack... But, the Boeing train was too strong and every time they managed to pull back the Spaniard. Then Gadret attacked with 12 kilometres to go....

Vedugo and the super domestique Szymd battled it out for second and it was good to see Navarro showing well in the mountains to finish fourth as the GC gets shaken up again.

Stage Favourites:
***Gadret(BOE) **Szymd(BOE) *Niemiec(NEM)

The 8 man break today: Ignatiev; Offredo; Morkov; Guama; R Perez; S Marinangelli; Augustyn; Bauer.

Remember those names as, with no chase from the peloton, with 53 kilometres to go the break had 9'30 and the gap was increasing. A stage win for one of these 8 beckoned.

With 15 kilometres to go Ignatiev attacks his breakaway companions, he has '30 over them with 10 kilometres. Instead of giving up the ghost the rest of the break work well together. Team UK YOUTH with 2 riders do more than most in an attempt to bring back the Russian.

Ignatiev is caught by Marinangelli and the rest, there is less than 2 kilometres to go. All the break looked really fatigued and there would be no more attacks.

The sprint would settle it.....

The Spaniard ensured a second win for Cartoon Network despite starting his sprint before anyone else. Guama looked like he might pass the Cartoon Network rider but could not match the winner's virility.

Behind, well over 6 minutes down Gadret further increased his GC lead.

Stage Favourite:
***Nieve(TBG) ***Gadret(BOE)

Today is the major stage of this Giro as it is without question the hardest. The Passo Giau summits some 15 kilometres before the finish, but will still destroy many legs and hearts.

If a rider takes finishes 1st at all KOM points today he will win the jersey.

A 10 man break got away, the riders: Popovych, Castroviejo, Bak, Brenes, Losada, Kadri, Pantano, van Niekerk, Ovechkin and Arashiro. Bak (88th) was the best placed in GC, but the Festina Watches rider was the first to be dropped.

Despite van Niekerk being in the top 10 in the KOM contest he bewilderingly doesn't contest the points.

We are on the penultimate climb of the day with 45 kilometres to go and the break at 3'40, despite Gadret's unnerving dominance in this tour the domestiques of Semen and Iberia are intent on shutting down the break early.

Nieve attacks out of the bunch knowing he can sky rocket up the GC with a good performance. Navarro puts in an attack but doesn't catch the break as Nieve does....

Immediately Millar and Slagter are seen at the rear of the big favourites group as Nieve attacks again and goes on solo with '40 ahead of the peloton with 23 kilometres to go.

The expected attack of Gadret comes and he catches Nieve with 4 kilometres left of the final climb..... he would drop the Spaniard and ride on into the distance yet again. As he crosses the final peak of the day first he would move into the lead of the KOM competition, now holding all three main jerseys.

Terrible tactics by Semen and Iberia...

Konig and Navarro put in a good ride and would move up in the GC, but today they are no match for the few riders ahead which today includes Tschopp. The Swiss rider is showing very well, on the other hand Gusev has cracked as has Millar...

The GC changes dramatically on the penultimate/ hardest mountain stage. The Ultra classification becoming really close in certain areas.