Bardiani delivered another great performance in the last decisive mountain stage of the Giro d'Italia.

Nicola Boem was part of the early breakaway before Manuel Bongiorno and then Stefano Pirazzi attacked. The climber from Fiuggi delivered  a superb performance, following the strongest riders with grit and cresting the top of Colle delle Finestre in the second group.  

On the way to Sestriere, Pirazzi was dropped but inside the last two kilometers he passed some riders with a strong comeback and finished 13th, 3.05 behind stage winner Fabio Aru (Astana) and 40 seconds behind the maglia rosa Alberto Contador (Tinkoff – Saxo).

”Today was important both for me and the team as we wanted do a great perfomance and I guess we did out best. On the Colle delle Finestre I tried to manage my effort, especially in the dirt road sector. I knew the key moment would come on the Sestriere climb. There I gave everything, getting close to the top 10. It was a demanding Giro d’Italia but I am happy to have been in the fight with the best in the last challenging stage."