Welcome to live coverage of stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia, a 151-km ride past Lake Como from Morbegno to San Pellegrino Terme.

ATTACK: Three riders finally ping off the front of the bunch. They are Paolo Tiralongo (Astana), Dario Cataldo (Quick Step) and Giairo Ermeti (Androni).

A few names thrown into the hat below from you readers so far: Dessel, Kiryienka, Nibali, Hoogerland, Millar... Still no movement from the peloton though.

Green jersey Stefano Garzelli comes to the front of the bunch, hopefully in a bid to liven things up a little.

Utter stalemate in the bunch as it trundles on - albeit at an average speed of 53km/h - along towards the feeding zone.

So, it's that time of the day. Who do you think will get into the breakaway out there on the ride to San Pellegrino? Why not go one further, who do you think will win the stage? Loads of people suggested Visconti yesterday, but not one went for his rookie compatriot Ulissi. Have your say below...

The big overnight news is that pink jersey Alberto Contador's Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing over a failed dope test could be delayed until after the Tour de France...

While the remaining riders take it easy on this first flat section of the stage, why not read our blogger Blazin' Saddles' take on the Visconti-Ulissi showdown? Pablo Lastras will be kicking himself he wasn't awarded the win...

No movement inside the peloton so far: it's gruppo compatto.

Today's stage passes over roads used by the Giro di Lombardia one day race, heading past Lake Como and Bergamo before presenting the riders with a Cat.2 climb - the Passo di Ganda - before a technical downhill and flat finish in San Pellegrino Terme, home of the famous fizzy mineral water. A breakaway looks on the cards, given Friday and Saturday's summit finishes and the concluding ITT in Milan on Sunday.

Yesterday's stage looked destined to belong to Italian Giovanni Visconti, before the national champion made a total hash up of the sprint, ending up pushing his compatriot Diego Ulissi and getting demoted to third. Lampre's Ulissi took the win after the race commissaires threw the book at the Farnese Vini hot head...

The sun's out in a blue sky peppered with white fluffy clouds in Morbegno. It's currently 23 degrees and there isn't much wind - although there's an 80% chance of skattered showers later today...

And they'er off! Today's stage is under way...