Stage 15 | Valdengo to Bergamo | Giro d’Italia 2017

Stage 15 of the Giro d’Italia was more like a one-day Classic than a grand tour stage coming at the end of the second week – and not just because it finished in Bergamo and used roads that would not have looked out of place at the end-0f-season Il Lombardia.

The race was furious from the start, with the peloton reluctant to let any break get its head. The first two hours saw the speeds top 50 kilometres per hour and it took more than 100 kilometres for a break to go clear.

At the finish, it was the white jersey wearer, and best young rider, Bob Jungels who produced a finish worthy of any race in the world to win the stage.

Behind him all the general classification riders were forced to react and Nairo Quintana was second on the stage to pinch a six-second time bonus that starts the process of chipping away at Tom Dumoulin’s overall lead.

In this episode of The Cycling Podcast, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe are in Bergamo. There’s a debate about polenta, praise for Vincenzo Nibali and a discussion about whether Dumoulin can hold the pink jersey all the way through the mountains.

The Cycling Podcast is supported by Rapha and Science in Sport.