Wow, what a race the 2015 Giro this has been! 3,317 kilometres through landscapes beautiful enough to make you weep with jealously. 20 stages of fierce racing, and barely one without some excitement or other. It really doesn’t seem that long ago since the teams rolled off the pink platform in San Lorenzo al Mare, and yet here we are – la basta. Expect pink and prosecco – lots, there can never be enough.

Sunday 31 May: Stage 21 – Turin to Milan, flat, 185km

Today’s flat stage from Turin to Milan will undoubtedly have a celebratory air to it, and who can deny that the riders haven’t earned the right to have a little fun? However, the race is not over until the last pink confetti cannon fires in Milan, and there is still the little matter of the maglia rossa to be contested. Only 32 points separate the top five places in this competition, and with two intermediate sprints plus the finish line bonus there is still everything to play for.

Points available for the first 15 riders at the finish: 50, 35, 25, 18, 14, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Points for the first eight riders at each intermediate sprint: 20, 12, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1.

It seems eminently fitting that this fascinating race gives us one last surprise on the frantic finishing circuits of the Milanase streets. Can Trek’s Giacomo Nizzolo hold on to the red jersey, and will Sacha Modolo and Elia Viviani ensure an all-Italian lock-out of the top three places in the classification?

Link: Official race website

Header image: Milan Carnival Ambosiano by Giesenbauer under Flickr commons creative licence: https://www.flickr.com/photos/giesenbauer/3360355699/in/photostream