Selle Italia simply sensational

Not only did Selle Italia-Colombia take their second successive stage victory yesterday, Gianni Savio's tenacious team also cemented their lead in the mountains classification with José Rujano, which was in fact their only objective at the start of the day.

The winning break, which began 176 kilometres from the finish in Livigno, enabled the 48 kilo Rujano, whose build resembles that of a young boy, to take first two GPM sprints at Frassineto and the 'Cima Coppi' atop the Passo dello Stelvio, before Ivan Parra won the third mountain prime as he crossed the Passo di Foscagno en route to another solo victory.

As a result, Rujano now holds a virtually unassailable lead in the competition, having accumulated 107 points so far, with team-mate Parra in second on 55 points. In addition, Rujano also leads the most combative classification, and is 17 points clear of his nearest competitor, Paolo Bettini (Quick.Step).