Hello and welcome to live coverage of stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia - a short but potentially sharp 155km ride from Riva del Garda to Iseo that could favour a breakaway, a bunch sprint or even a GC ambush. Stay tuned for all the action...

Sanchez isn't too happy about Poels being back in this break, nor is De Marchi. There's a bit of chit-chat going on - and Torres is dropped once the pace increases courtesy of Hermans.

Rodolfo Torres (Androni Giocattoli) has managed to bridge over to the leaders on this uncategorised climb. The gap is up to 20 seconds for the five leaders.

So, it's all going to start again. De Marchi won't throw in the towel yet and he rallies with Sanchez and Hermans. As the gap opens up a little following a Mitchelton-Scott lull on the front, Poels has a second wind and dances clear. What is going on out there? The Dutchman joins the leaders and they will have another attempt at building up a lead.

Poels and Geniez - who appear to be the problem in the break - have come on to the front, but the game is over and they all sit up.

Poels and Geniez are momentarily distanced after Sanchez ups the tempo with the peloton breathing down the break's neck. The gap reopens to eight seconds after De Marchi lends the Spaniard a hand.

Visconti has a puncture and that will be that for the break, who are about to be reeled in by the Mitchelton Scott-led peloton.

Viviani has been dragged back into the peloton by four Quick-Step team-mates so his hunt for a fourth stage win is back on.

Hermans has been reeled in by his fellow escapees and it's Alessandro De Marchi who takes up the pace-setting on the front. The gap is 24 seconds and so it's still very precarious for them.

Ben Hermans appears to have ridden clear of the other escapees on the descent. It's also started to rain.

The gap is just 30 seconds for the leading eight riders who are being chased by a strung-out peloton which has Bora and Mitchelton-Scott at its head.

It's Geniez who takes the maximum 7pts over the top ahead of Poels for the KOM standings, which is being led by Simon Yates (91pts), Giulio Ciccone (52pts) and Esteban Chaves (47pts). So there'll be no change at the top.

Wout Poels (Team Sky) is also in this break now alongside Alexandre Geniez (Ag2R-La Mondiale), Marcus Schachmann (Quick-Step Floors) and Giovanni Visconti (Bahrain Merida), plus the original four: Hermans, Sanchez, De Marchi and Elissonde.

Sanchez and Elissonde have been joined by Hermans and De Marchi, the BMC rider I mentioned. Three more are closing in and they have about 10 seconds over the pack. Meanwhile, a gruppetto has formed and Elia Viviani appears to be in it - that could spark the death knell for this break, who may find themselves chased down by Bora...

It's not Henao of Team Sky but Frenchman Kenny Elissonde. He's with Sanchez, who has been very feisty today, and they have passed Hermans, who chases behind with a BMC rider closing in.

We're hearing that Tosh van der Sande has withdrawn - that's the third KO for Lotto-Fix All who are down to five riders after losing stage 4 winner Tim Wellens last week, plus Victor Campenaerts and Van der Sande today.

It's all strung out on this hairpinned climb and Hermans has been joined by a few riders, including Luis Leon Sanchez and Sergio Henao of Sky.

We're just onto the Cat.3 climb to Lodrino and Ben Hermans (Israel Sporting Academy) has put in an attack.

We now have five riders off the front including that man Fonzi. The others are Lars Bak (Lotto-Fix All), Francois Bidard (AG2R), Mads Wurtz Schmidt (Katusha) and Mattia Cattaneo (Androni). But they're not making much headway.

It's all over for the two leaders and now we have four other riders who have zipped clear, including Giuseppe Fonzi of Wilier Triestina, who is currently in last place on GC.

Frapporti kept his record up by beating Atapuma to the sprint - with a cluster of riders zipping off the front of the main pack to mop up the rest of the points, thereby neutralising any potential ciclamino battle between Viviani and Bennett.

The two leaders have 25 seconds on the rest of the break, which is about to be swept up by the peloton. It's been a crazy opening 55km with still nothing decided on the road. After the intermediate sprint there are two climbs and so we can expect a complete shake up again. With that in mind, this could be a good spring board for Atapuma.