Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates had no intention of riding for the win on stage 16, but with Movistar Team riding hard all day on the front of the peloton to keep the breakaway in check, the Maglia Rosa eventually took advantage on the final climb to take his 5th stage win.
Given what transpired in the finale, Movistar Team's tactics were the topic of much discussion, with some questioning why they pretty much presented Pogacar with another stage win. Post-stage however, both team leader Einer Rubio and prior Giro d'Italia stage winner, Pelayo Sanchez attempted to explain the thought behind the team's riding.
"We knew Einer had good legs, so we wanted to try something. We controlled for him because he said he was feeling fine," explained Sanchez who somewhat curiously decided to attack rather than work on the front when his time came. "I attacked so that Einer could get behind, but I had to drop back to gain pace. Then I went again, but I had material problems... I tried to do something else, but I was empty. I felt good, had great legs and might have had a chance at the stage victory. It is what it is.”
"I wanted to try, even though we knew it was going to be difficult," added Rubio in his post-stage analysis to Eurosport. "Maybe we gave too much, but we had a good feeling and the team did a fantastic job. It's a shame that in the end something was missing for me. We are confident in the third week, which is always our strength. We hope to strike in the coming days. I am very grateful to the team for the work they have done."
When all was said and done at the end of the stage, Rubio still sits 9th in the general classification, 13:09 down on race leader Pogacar.
🇮🇹 #Giroditalia La quinta de Pogačar (UAD), vencedor de la 16ª jornada con final en el Monte Pana / Santa Cristina. @Einerrubio1, pese a sufrir en las rampas del último puerto, concluye 11º, a 45" del vencedor y muy cerca de sus rivales más inmediatos en la general.
