Giro d'Italia 2023 Stage 19 recap: Santiago Buitrago wins queen stage as Primoz Roglic cuts gap to Geraint Thomas

1. Geraint Thomas
2. Primoz Roglic +26
3. Joao Almeida +59
4. Damiano Caruso +4:11
5. Eddie Dunbar +4:53
6. Thibaut Pinot +5:10
7. Thymen Arensman +5:13
8. Lennard Kamna +5:54
9. Andreas Leknessund +6:08
10. Laurens De Plus +7:30

Einer Rubio, meanwhile, is now 10 seconds off the top 10, with Santiago Biutrago up to 12th.

1. Santiago Buitrago
2. Derek Gee +51
3. Magnus Cort +1:46
4. Primoz Roglic +1:46
5. Geraint Thomas +1:49
6. Joao Almeida +2:09
7. Damiano Caruso +2:09
8. Thymen Arensman +2:09
9. Thibaut Pinot +2:16
10. Einer Rubio +2:26

"I just wanted to go in the break for the ciclamino points so I could secure second place. But they gave us a bigger and bigger gap so I then had to wrap my head around going to the finish again. I knew Buitrago was gone as soon as he caught me because his acceleration was ridiculous. I didn’t know where everyone else was – didn’t know where the GC guys were – so I went full to the line. I guess it’s kind of high up here and not much oxygen – that hurt, for sure. Another second place – second in the ciclamino and second in the azzurra… it’s going to take a while to sink in."

The provisional timing has Primoz Roglic taking three seconds off Geraint Thomas at the finish there - and it could have been more had he reeled in Magnus Cort, who just held on for third place and the final bonus seconds. So, Thomas will take a 26-second lead over Roglic into the mountain time trial tomorrow. This race is far from over.

Only Roglic can muster a response but he really has to work to close the gap on the home straight. He then catches the pink jersey and perhaps takes a second or two or three from him over the line. But Almeida loses time - he comes home around 20 seconds back.

The Colombian from Bahrain Victorious wins the queen stage at Tre Cime di Lavaredo. That was a superb and calculated win from Buitrago, who reeled in Derek Gee, the Canadian who takes another second place at 51 seconds.

They catch Almeida, Roglic and Thomas in the final kilometre. They have passed Pronskiy. Meanwhile, further up the road...

The Portuguese plugs away and joins Roglic and Thomas just after the flamme rouge. He comes to the front and takes it up - the white jersey now piling on the pressure.

The Slovenian made his move and the pink jersey was first to react. Almeida is losing ground but not giving in...

Santiago Buitrago on his way to a second win on the Giro ahead of Derek Gee. Further down the mountain - around 2'30" in arrears - the pink jersey group are picking off the remnants of the break one by one. Almeida has come to the front...

Let's hope none of the fans hold up any of the riders here because they're really getting close. Almeida is coming up as Dunbar and Leknessund go off the back.

It was a brave effort but it looks like that's that for the Canadian. He's the king of bouncing back, but it could well be another second place for the 25-year-old. And the Colombian now attacks to go clear! That was clinical...

They pass under the 2km banner and it's just a matter of seconds now as they hit one of the steepest ramps. Behind, De Plus has gone out the back again as well as Zana. Arensman takes it up for Thomas - his tempo nullifying any chance of an attack. Van Wilder starting to lose contact on the back. The elastic has snapped for Kamna, too, so he may drop down the top 10 today.

Laurens De Plus has returned to the front ahead of Arensman and Thomas. Almeida and Roglic are there, ditto Kuss, Zana, Dunbar, Pinot, Kamna, Rubio, Van Wilder, Caruso and Leknessund. So the entire top 10 except Bruno Armirail.

Buitrago is now being given a pep talk by his DS. The Colombian won a stage in last year's Giro and so he's been there, done that. But Gee has a capacity to dig deep and experience real pain on the bike. This is a thrilling tussle.

What a story this would be after all his near misses! The Canadian is the lone leader and Santiago Buitrago, who was in pursuit, now seems to be going backwards...

De Plus drops off after his monster stint while Arensman's attack is neutralised first by Filippo Zana - yesterday's winner and Eddie Dunbar's team-mate - and then the other GC favourites. It may have been an inadvertent attack there - a natural acceleration that wasn't initially followed.