Mikel Landa of Astana has won stage sixteen of the Giro D'Italia.
The third week started with a 174km stage from Pinzolo to Aprica.with plenty for the climbers to get their teeth into.
Geschke , Domont , Zardini , Bouet and Berlato tried to get away on the Campo Carlo Magno but it was Carlos Betancur that was first over the top.
Seven riders in Zardini, Pellizotti, Felline, Bookwalter, De La Cruz, and Fernandez and Niemiec.took a thirty five second lead before a new group of Ryder Hesjedal (Cannondale Garmin), Nikolay Mihaylov (CCC Sprandi), Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre Merida), Ruben Fernandez (Movistar), Sander Armée (Lotto Soudal), Franco Pellizotti (Androni Sidermec), Fabio Felline (Trek), David de la Cruz (Etixx QuickStep), Edoardo Zardini (Bardiani CSF) and Brent Bookwalter (BMC) went away.
This break stuck and they were two minutes clear before Ryder Hesjedal went away and was first over the finish line for the first time to take the Aprica climb.with Ivan Basso who won here in 2010 leading over the peloton which now consisted of about seventy riders with a gruppeto some 12.45 down.
With 52kms left, Hesjedal was thirty eight seconds ahead of a chasing group with Trofimov, Lagutin and Chernetckii behind and a minute ahead of the Maglia Rosa group.
The race leader Alberto Contador had not kept up with an attack from Fabio Aru and was twenty two seconds behind the Astana rider as he went after the chasing group, knowing that if he was to win this race in Milan on Sunday, then a big win today would certainly aid his cause.
Hesjedal was caught three kilometres from the start of the Mortirolo climb which has ramps of up to 20%.
Astana were on the front working for Aru whilst Contador set off on his own and quickly retrieved fifteen seconds, dropping everyone one with him.
Aru, Landa and Kruijswijk attacked but Contador was still going and with 41.5kms left, was 27 seconds behind them.
Hesjedal and Trofimov brought up Contador and he came into view of Aru a kilometre later and caught him and then passed before going away with Landa and Kruijswijk.
With thirty five kilometres to go, Contador was 1.19 ahead of Aru on the Mortirolo which was taking prisioners as they tried to get up the mountain.
Amador, who started the day third in the general classification passed Aru who was struggling.
Kruijswijk was first over the climb to take the points and the Marco Pantani prize ahead of Contador and Landa and move to within three points of KOM leader Benat Intxausti of Movistar.
Contador went away on the descent as the rain came down and they were 1.34 ahead of Aru and Amador with twenty two kilometres left.
Aru suffered a mechanical but got on his way.
With 3.6kms to go, Mikel Landa broke away, knowing that he could go second in the GC with a win and it was the win he got, taking victory in 5.02.51, thirty eight seconds ahead of Kruijswijk and Contador.
Trofiomov and Amador came in two minutes down and some 2.49 later, Aru came home.
"A really difficult day for me," said Landa. "In the last kilometres I saw I had the chance to win after working with Contador and I am happy that I won."
Contador leads the race by 4.02 from Landa and 4.52 from Aru.