Kluge's Last Ditch Attack Defies Sprinters on Giro Stage 17

Germany's Roger Kluge caused a massive upset with a last-ditch attack to defy the sprinters and win stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia in Cassano d'Adda

Kluge give's Swiss IAM Cycling team first Gran Tour stage win, after a dramatic final sprint, only a day after the team announced shutting up shop at the end of the season.

In the 196-kilometre stage from Molveno, reminants of the breakway, included a late attack by Filippo Pozzato (Wilier-Southeast) in the final kilometre. Kluge held on for one fnal attack just ahead of the napping peloton, to victory in disbelief - by a matter of metres. The 30-year-old became the third German stage winner of the race following Marcel Kittel and Andre Greipel.

Italian Giacomo Nizzolo was favourite to notch a maiden scalp in his home tour, but finished third behind  Nikias Arndt (Giant-Alpecin). The only consulation was consolidating his lead in the red jersey points standings.

Italians Sacha Modolo (Lampre-Merida) and Matteo Trentin (Etixx-QuickStep) completed the top five on an otherwise quiet day on the Giro.

Maglia rosa Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) finished safely in the main pack to retain his three-minute lead over Colombia's Esteban Chaves (Orica-GreenEdge) in the general classification with four days remaining in the 99th edition of La Corsa Rosa.

Three riders broke clear of the pack after just two kilometres including Daniel Oss (BMC), Russian Pavel Brutt (Tinkoff) and Eugert Zhupa (Wilier-Southeast) built up a maximum lead in excess of five minutes with the race edging towards the plains of Lombardia in northern Italy.

Oss won both intermediate sprints and crested the summit of the only categorised climb, the Cat.4 Passo Sant-Eusebio, in pole position as the gap came down to just over a minute entering the final 30 kilometres.

Behind, Nizzolo warmed up by picking up maximum points for fourth place in both intermediate sprints looking to be the most likely winner in the Sprint without Greipel or Kittel in the race.

With 22 kilometers to go, Lars Bak (Lotto-Soudal), Ignatas Konovalovas (FDJ) and Maxim Belkov (Katusha) attaked the peleton and joined forces with 3 breakaway leaders it looked increasingly doubtful that it would end in a bunch Sprint.

The lead increased to 30-odd seconds as Bak rallied the six-man break which started working together to stay ahead.

Bak attacked inside the final two kilometres as the breakaway was reeled in.

Pozzato attacked from the front of the catching peleton with Kluge who had followed.

Kluge caught Pozzato with a few hundred metres remaining.

Kluge dug deep to hold off the sprinters and had just enough time to sit up and celebrate..

Giacomo Nizzolo notched his fourth runner-up spot of the season in a stage that he really should have won. 

Ironically Nizzolo could win red jersey for a second successive year without notching a single stage win. For the sprinters Sunday's final stage to Turin is really the last opportnity.

Tomorrow's tag 18 is the longest stage and largely flat 240km ride from Muggio to Pinerolo. There's a tough double-digit climb to Pramartino before a dangerous descent to the finish.

Perfect for a lone attacker to win the stage.

Giro d'Italia Stage 17 Top 10

1. Roger KLUGE, IAM CYCLING, in 4:31:29
2. Giacomo NIZZOLO, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at :00
3. Nikias ARNDT, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at :00
4. Sacha MODOLO, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at :00
5. Matteo TRENTIN, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at :00
6. Alexander PORSEV, TEAM KATUSHA, at :00
7. Pim LIGTHART, LOTTO SOUDAL, at :00
8. Ramunas NAVARDAUSKAS, CANNONDALE PRO CYCLING TEAM, at :00
9. Manuel BELLETTI, WILIER TRIESTINA – SOUTHEAST, at :00
10. Paolo SIMION, BARDIANI CSF, at :00

Top 10 Overall after Stage 17

1. Steven KRUIJSWIJK, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, in 68:11:39
2. Johan Esteban CHAVES RUBIO, ORICA – GreenEDGE, at 3:00
3. Alejandro VALVERDE BELMONTE, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 3:23
4. Vincenzo NIBALI, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 4:43
5. Ilnur ZAKARIN, TEAM KATUSHA, at 4:50
6. Rafal MAJKA, TINKOFF, at 5:34
7. Bob JUNGELS, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 7:57
8. Andrey AMADOR BIKKAZAKOVA, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 8:53
9. Domenico POZZOVIVO, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 10:05
10. Kanstantsin SIUTSOU, DIMENSION DATA, at 11:03