Creating history on Monte Grappa - Giro d'Italia stage 20 gallery

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com
(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

The 2024 Giro d'Italia is almost at an end, with only Sunday's finale in Rome – part-procession, part-sprint stage –before three weeks of racing at the first Grand Tour of the year draws to a close.

Of course, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) will be the rider coming to the end of his debut Giro with the fondest memories of the month. The maglia rosa rolls into the capital with nearly a 10-minute GC lead, having ridden a race of his own for the most part.

He'll also round off the first part of a potential Giro-Tour double with the maglia azzurra as mountain classification winner, and then there's the matter of those six stage wins – the most scored by any single rider in one edition of the race since Alessandro Petacchi's nine victories 20 years ago.

Pogačar's, likely, final stage win of the race came in the Veneto town of Bassano del Grappa, having once again taken off for a solo victory well ahead of any of his fellow GC contenders. He delivered a stinging attack over the famous Monte Grappa, catching and passing Giro revelation and breakaway survivor Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) along the way.

With his win over the mountain, Pogačar followed in the wheel tracks of Emilio Casalini, Eddy Merckx, Vincenzo Nibali, Nairo Quintana, and Thibaut Pinot. Meanwhile, his 9:56 margin of victory is the largest since Vittorio Adorni's in 1965.

Our photographers were on hand to capture history in the making on Monte Grappa.

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Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Race leader Tadej Pogačar heads out to start the penultimate day of the race

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

The start of stage 20 was run in the wet, though things cleared up later on

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Better conditions for Pogačar and the remainder of the peloton

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

The breakaway leads the race on Monte Grappa

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Though the peloton wasn't far behind

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

UAE Team Emirates took charge of the peloton on the 184km stage

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Team and race leader Pogačar was in their wheel

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Dario Belingheri/Getty Images

(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

Colombian fans could celebrate Dani Martínez's impending second place overall

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Riders tackle the steep slopes of Monte Grappa

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Monte Grappa is rarely featured at the Giro d'Italia, though was most recently used in 2017

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Chris Auld

(Image credit: Chris Auld)

The tifosi will have been cheering on Italian champion Simone Velasco

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Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Chris Auld

(Image credit: Chris Auld)

Slovenian fans also made the short trip across the border to cheer on the race and their man Pogačar

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Chris Auld

(Image credit: Chris Auld)

Of course, there were plenty of fans decked out in Giro d'Italia pink

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

20-year-old Giulio Pellizzari was on the attack once more, impressing yet again on his Giro debut

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

But Pogačar put paid to the Italian's dreams on the second of two Monte Grappa ascents

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Back down the mountain, home favourite Antonio Tiberi was racing to a top-five overall and claimed the white jersey of best young rider

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Dani Martínez would battle on to claim second place overall in Rome

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Geraint Thomas would have to settle for third place, one down on his 2023 finish

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Chris Auld

(Image credit: Chris Auld)

It was all fun and games for the fans on Monte Grapp

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Chris Auld

(Image credit: Chris Auld)

The only way is up on the final ascent of the 2024 Giro d'Italia

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Not every rider was taking the ascent of Monte Grappa 100% seriously

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Zac Williams/SWpix.com

(Image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

As well as Jan Tratnik above, Thomas Champion also pulled a wheelie on the way up

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Dario Belingheri/Getty Images

(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

The day, however, belonged to Pogačar

Images from stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia on Monte Grappa – Fabio Ferrari - Pooli/Getty Images

(Image credit: Fabio Ferrari - Pooli/Getty Images)

A celebratory bike lift for the stage and overall winner

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Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.

Season highlights from the 2024 season include reporting from Paris-Roubaix –  'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.