Hello and welcome to another quiet day on the Giro d'Italia. Given the monotonous tedium of this oh-so-boring 101st edition of La Corsa Rosa, not much will happen in this 214km Stage 20 from Susa to Cervinia, which features the final three big climbs of the race and will decide once and for all the outcome of the maglia rosa.

Berhane still rides in pursuit but the Eritrean is 2'20" down with the peloton a further 1'10" back.

The 27 leaders are: Matteo Montaguti (Ag2R-La Mondiale), Davide Ballerini, Marco Frapporti, Francesco Gavazzi and Manuel Belletti (all Androni Giocattoli), Matej Mohoric and Giovanni Visconti (Bahrain Merida), Giulio Ciccone and Enrico Barbin (Bardiani-CSF), Felix Grossschartner and Andreas Shillinger (Bora-Hansgrohe), Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors), Jacopo Mosca (Wilier Triestina), Matthieu Ladagnous and Steve Morabito (Groupama-FDJ), Krists Neilands (Israel Cycling Academy), Roman Kreuziger and Mikel Nieve (Mitchelton-Scott), Michael Woods (EF Education First-Drapac), Tony Martin and Maurits Lammertink (Katusha-Alpecin), Valerio Conti and Vegard Stake Laengen (UAE Team Emirates), Koen Bouwman, Bert-Jan Lindeman and Robert Gesink (LottoNL-Jumbo), and Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafredo).

The average speed for the first hour of the stage was a zippy 48.8kmph. The leaders now have 3'05" over the peloton with one rider - Natnael Berhane of Dimension Data - riding in no-man's land in between.

Talking of Richard Carapaz (second yesterday) and Miguel Angel Lopez (third), the two South Americans are embroiled in a hefty battle for the white jersey with Movistar's Ecuadorian slashing his deficit to the Colombian from Astana to 47 seconds in stage 19. Lopez will want to defend his youth classification lead today - but he'll also be aware that he's just 40 seconds down on Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ). A solid ride today coupled with some problems for the Frenchman could see Lopez leapfrog Pinot onto the final podium... Still a lot to play for beyond the pink jersey...

A lot has been made of Froome's ride yesterday and many people are torn as to know whether it was too good to be true. But it's interesting to point out that he took the same amount of time to climb the Jafferau as Tom Dumoulin. Having build up a lead of a minute on the Colle delle Finestre following his first attack, Froome put in another minute on the chasers on the descent, which he tackled with nerves of steel while his rivals sat up and waited for reinforcements. He then extended his lead in the Susa valley while Dumoulin was dragging along his chasing group - most notably Carapaz and Lopez. There's no doubt that the salbutamol case hanging over Froome is terrible for the sport - but you don't ride faster downhill thanks to a few puffs on an inhaler.

Interesting to see Mitchelton-Scott duo Mikel Nieve and Roman Kreuziger in the break - the Australian team keen to make amends for yesterday's horror show. There's also Gianluca Brambilla, who's had a pretty torrid race for his Trek-Segafredo team. Canada's Michael Woods (EF Education First-Drapac) is there after plummeting out of the top 20 yesterday. And stage 10 winner Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Merida) is present along with the young Italian climber Giulio Ciccone of Bardiani-CSF. So, all in all, this is a tidy group that could go the distance - provided they build up a decent enough lead before the first climb.

The numbers have swelled in this break, which now has over 20 riders in it with the gap up to one minute. Names coming up...

The gap is small for these escapees - just 20-odd seconds for now. Actually, we're hearing that there are five now. Another Italian, Jacopo Mosca (Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia), has joined the party.

BREAK: Four riders have opened up s small gap over the peloton including that man Viviani! The Italian is clearly on a mission to tie up the jersey today in order to make the final stage to Rome less stressful. It's an all-Italian break which sees Viviani joined by compatriots Davide Ballerini (Androni Giocattoli), Giovanni Visconti (Bahrain Merida) and Matteo Montaguti (Ag2R-La Mondiale).

There are two intermediate sprints coming up ahead of the three climbs today and that could be a motivation for some riders - especially the Androni Giocattoli boys, who are dominating the intermediate sprint and breakaway competition having pretty much featured in every move of the race so far. There's also the not insignificant matter of the maglia ciclamino competition: Elia Viviani currently wears the purple jersey with 290pts to Sam Bennett's 232pts so it's not mathematically impossible for the Irishman to reel him in should be pick up points in both sprints and then win the final stage tomorrow in Rome...

It's nice to see Simon Yates able to smile after yesterday's whammy. After all, if he lost the pink jersey to Froome while dropping to 18th on GC (now more than 35 minutes in arrears), he also conceded the maglia azzurra king of the mountains jersey to Froome (who has 123pts to Yates' 91pts). Although, ironically, Yates now gets to wear the blue jersey which he never got the chance to wear while leading that competition - by virtue of him (and now Froome) being in pink.

If last weekend’s stage to Monte Zoncolan was the queen stage of the race, then surely this was the king – and at the end it was Froome who once again ruled supreme: the Cima Coppi over the achingly beautiful Colle delle Finestre, a swashbuckling solo win, the pink and blue jerseys, and a Grand Tour grand slam very much within touching distance. Here was the moment Froome went on the attack 80km from the finish...

After yesterday's brutal stage there are some tired legs in the peloton - but it's also the last competitive day of racing: not only does this stage offer a final chance for many riders - and teams - to pick up a win, there's the GC subplot with Froome's 40-second lead still far from secure. After all, the last time the Sky rider won a stage - on the Zoncolan - he toiled the next day and conceded 51 seconds to the Dutchman Dumoulin the next day... that will be Sunweb's motivation today. As such, it's been a fast and furious start to today's stage with many riders trying to get into a break. Nothing has stuck yet, mind.

George Bennett's reaction to Froome's win and pink jersey yesterday was priceless - and led to his LottoNL-Jumbo team having to add a "Disclaimer to avoid any misinterpretation: this is not an insinuation, but a way to express the admiration for an exceptional achievement. Congratulations to Chris Froome and Team Sky." Read into it what you will.

Before the excitement builds why not watch the latest offering from our friends at GCN who dissect yesterday's astonishing stage and analyse where it went wrong for Tom Dumoulin following the attack by Froome and the capitulation by Simon Yates.

Having negotiated the neutral zone, the riders have now started this stage after race director Mauro Vegni waved the flag. Here's the peloton at the start town of Susa. We have 151 riders remaining after a flurry of withdrawals yesterday, including Ben O'Connor (who crashed), Fabio Aru and Vasil Kiryienka.

This is what's on the menu today on a stage that will decide the final outcome of the maglia rosa: a back-loaded 214km run that includes three successive gruelling Cat.1 climbs.

Here's the new man himself in pink ahead of today's decisive stage. He has a 40 second lead on Tom Dumoulin - can he hold on to take an historic first Giro d'Italia crown?

As I inferred just now, not much happened yesterday... Only joking! In one of the most astonishing/unbelievable/incredible performances in modern cycling history, Britain’s Chris Froome soared into the pink jersey with a devastating long-distance mountain raid to win Stage 19 at Bardonecchia while destroying the hopes of compatriot Simon Yates and dashing the hopes of defending champion Tom Dumoulin. Team Sky's Froome threw caution to the wind as he soloed clear on the dirt roads of the Colle delle Finestre with 80km still left to ride of the gruelling 184km stage in the Alps. Read more here...