Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team wrapped up the Giro d'Italia with a top 10 finish in the 31km individual time trial, as well as a couple top 15 finishes for the stage and a top 15 finish in the overall.

The Giro d'Italia queen stage featured plenty of surprises, as Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM) soloed to victory on the Stelvio summit finish on Saturday. The 218km stage, including a finish on the 22.4km, 6.9% average gradient climb with max ramps of 12%, devastated the peloton and left GC contenders scrambling to protect their standings. Dario Cataldo and Serge Pauwels did what they could to minimize time losses, sitting at the front of the bunch chasing hard. However, they were no exception to the struggles of almost the entire field on the difficult final climb.

Dario Cataldo saw his chance to cut into his GC gap, and also potentially contend a stage, when he attacked the peloton with slightly more than 25km to go, and the remainder of an original 17 rider break that included his teammate Serge Pauwels, up the road. Two riders: Stefano Pirazzi (Colnago CSF Bardiani), and Sandy Casar (FDJ-Big Mat), had left all their former breakmates behind, and soon Pirazzi had also dropped Casar.