The Maglia Rosa, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), was never in difficulty on today’s mostly flat stage as the top of the General classification is unchanged.

Giovanni Visconti (Movistar) won stage 17 of the Giro d’Italia at Vicenza today, attacking on the final climb and holding off the chase. Ramunas Navardauskas (Garmin Sharp) finished second, 19 seconds behind Visconti. Third, in the same time, was Luka Mezgec (Argos Shimano).

It was Visconti’s second win of the 2013 Giro, and the fourth win for the Movistar team.

Today’s stage was witnessed by huge crowds, something which Nibali commented on. “It seemed like a national holiday, from the start of the stage to the finish,” said Nibali. “There were huge crowds along the route. It was emotional, not just for me but also for cycling, and for all the riders. There were great crowds waiting for us in the villages, when we went past in the group. On the final climb, too – it was really a wonderful experience.”

Speaking of tomorrow’s individual time trial, Nibali remained confident about his chances of defending his lead. “At the last mountain time trials in the Giro d’Italia, at Nevegal and Plan de Corones, I finished second and fourth, so I’ve always ridden well in mountain time trials. If I lead Cadel by 2 minutes tomorrow evening, it would be a big lead. However, it’s hard to predict things right now, because Cadel is always in the lead group, he’s pedalling very well, and so we’ll just have to see tomorrow.”

So far Nibali has failed to win a stage in this year’s edition of the Giro, something he is eager to rectify. “I’m only thinking about winning one stage, so whether it’s tomorrow or one of the mountain stages on Friday and Saturday, we’ll just have to see. It’s always hard to win, but it is also very hard to defend a very important jersey like the Maglia Rosa. I hope to gain something else on my rivals. If I can win a stage, I’ll certainly try.”