Italy's Enrico Pellizotti won the ever-climbing 7.9-mile time trial on Monday, but couldn't dislodge Astana's Alberto Contador from the overall lead.
The Spanish cyclist, who just attained the leader's pink jersey after Sunday's stage, finished Stage 16 in 4th place but widened the margin over his nearest rival — Riccardo Riccò — to 41 seconds.
After Tuesday's rest stage, the peloton swings into Switzerland for part of a 90-mile 17th stage from Sondrio to Locarno that has only one climb. Cyclists with a design on a championship will have to look ahead to the mountain stages on Friday or Saturday or Sunday's final stage — a time trial around Milan.
Uphill
Monday's route was all uphill to Plan de Corones, with sections sloping 20-24%.
Pellizotti of Liquigas put in an awesome effort to finish in first, beating Emanuele Sella by 6 seconds. Sella, you'll remember, is the cyclist who won the previous two major mountain stages by minutes over the second-place finisher.
Multiple Giro winner Gilberto Simoni finished in 3rd, 17 seconds behind, and Contador finished 22 seconds behind Pellizotti.
Former Giro champions Danilo Di Luca and Denis Menchov got hammered on the climb, finishing 1:45 and 1:49 back, respectively.
The Top 10:
1. Alberto Contador (ESP), Astana
2. Riccardo Ricco' (ITA), Saunier Duval, 41 seconds behind
3. Gilberto Simoni (ITA), Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, 1:21
4. Marzio Bruseghin (ITA), Lampre, 2:00
5. Franco Pellizotti (ITA), Liquigas, 2:05
6. Danilo Di Luca (ITA), Team L.P.R., 2:18
7. Denis Menchov (RUS), Rabobank, 2:47
8. Emanuele Sella (ITA), CSF Group Navigare, 4:25
9. Broeck Jurgen Van Den (BEL), Silence-Lotto, 4:26
10. Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA), CSF Group Navigare, 5:25
US riders
20. Levi Leipheimer, Astana, 16:41 behind
40. Christian Vandevelde, Slipstream-Chipotle, 39:54
92. Jason Mccartney, CSC, 1:47:31
144. Danny Pate, Slipstream-Chipotle, 2:56:29
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