Hello and welcome to live coverage of stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia! The longest stage of the race is a largely flat 240km ride from Muggio to Pinerolo which has a sting in the tail: a tough double-digit climb to Pramartino before a dangerous drop to the finish. The perfect occasion for Vincenzo Nibali to save his Giro, perhaps?

But the day belongs to this chap, Matteo Trentin, who now has a Giro win to go alongside his two scalps on the Tour de France. That's a fourth win for Etixx in this Giro too after Kittel's brace and Brambilla's earlier victory in Arezzo.

Valverde leads the favourites over the line some 13:34 down on the stage winner, Matteo Trentin. So, no changes on GC as Kruijswijk retains his three-minute lead over Esteban Chaves in the fight for pink.

Steven Kruijswijk right on the front on this cobbled climb before the finish, the Dutchman knowing that it's the safest place to be... Valverde then picks it up, but can't make any headway as he crosses the summit ahead of the maglia rosa and Nibali. Now the descent - with the other big favourites in Chaves, Majka and Zakarin all there too.

We have the other escapees arriving in drips and drabs now... back with the peloton, it's still Battaglin on the front for Kruijswijk - although Igor Anton is there for Dimension Date, oddly enough, too.

Second place for Moreno Moser of Cannondale, who had his pocket picked by Etixx there. Brambilla took third and he won't be too displeased - he already has his win, and that will be a further boost for the Etixx camp.

That was a complete Etixx-QuickStep ambush there as Trentin dropped the other chasers behind before shooting past the two leaders on the home straight. Brambilla knew he was there and so did none of the pacing on the front, while Moser was completely taken by susprise!

Wow - Matteo Trentin is catching them and it looks like Moser has no idea he's there because Trentin soars past and takes the win right at the very death!

Trentin is in pursuit so Etixx have two men for the finale...

The leading duo still have 15 seconds as they go under the flamme rouge... who will win the sprint?

Now it's the very steep and twisting descent, and they're going to hit the final neck and neck.

Moser sets the early pace before Brambilla comes through. But there's nothing separating the two men as they go over the top...

It's onto the cobbles and the climb of San Maurizio... oh no, Rovny overcooks the bend and goes into the barriers from the chasing group! He stays up but loses touch...

The finish is quite like the Strade Bianche finale in Siena. Brambilla came undone then - but will he put it right here? Remember, Moser is a former winner of Strade Bianche...

Just 18 seconds now for Brambilla and Moser... it's going to be a tight finish.

Battaglin did it on the ascent - and he's doing it on the descent too. Sterling team-work from the Italian for his LottoNL-Jumbo leader Kruijswick.

Over the top goes the peloton and it's a question of stalemate ahead of the Alpine showdowns of the next two days. They trail the leaders by 12:35. Meanwhile, the four-man chasing group are 28 seconds down on the two leaders, Brambilla and Moser. Etixx-QuickStep have two cards to play so they must be favourites for a victory in about 10 minutes time...

Descent done for the leaders, who have a four-man group in pursuit: Arndt, Rovny, Modolo and Trentin. No time gaps yet. Hang on, here you go, it's 35 seconds...

Battaglin still pulling up the maglia rosa - a superb effort from the Italian. A topless man brandishing a Russian flag is running alongside Zakarin.

Brambilla still leading the descent but he's not managing to shake off Moser, so it will come down to that final cobbled climb of San Maurizio later on.

Brambilla and Moser are on the fast descent, while there's no action in the pack, which is slowly being whittled down, but has yet to experience any attacks. Esteban Chaves is there, but isolated. Zakarin has Taaramae, while Nibali has two team-mates - but no Fuglsang, who's been dropped.