On the Scene for Giro d'Italia Stages 18 and 19

A steep, 500-meter-long ramp in the city of Pinerolo was a fun place to watch stage 18, as the riders passed through twice, once with 28k to go, and again just 2k from the finish.  Here are some shots from the first pass, including eventual stage winner Matteo Trentin sticking his tongue out:

And some from the second pass, including second-place finisher Moreno Moser:

In Risoul, France, Lupo Wolfie advocates came out to defend their hero against the French farmers' complaints.

I couldn't get a clean shot of Nibali, the stage winner, since he was mobbed by the press as soon as he crossed the finish line, but here's second-place finisher Mikel Nieve:

Majka, Valverde, and Uran finished together, 2'14" down on Nibali.

Jungels:

Henao:

Pozzovivo:

Stage winner Nibali and new maglia rosa Chaves on the podium:

Scarponi took the Cima Coppi prize.

Chaves's infectious smile and sunny personality made for a delightful post-stage press conference.