Visconti takes victory in snow, Nibali retains pink

VALLOIRE, France (AFP) –

Italian Vincenzo Nibali gets ready for the 14th stage of the 96th Giro d’Italia on May 18, 2013 in Cervere. Giovanni Visconti won the 15th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Sunday after a mountain finish in the snow following 149km from Cesana Torinese to Col du Galibier.

Giovanni Visconti won the 15th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Sunday after a mountain finish in the snow following 149km from Cesana Torinese to Col du Galibier.

The Italian from the Movistar team held off a charge from the depleted peloton, made up of race favourites, to take his maiden Giro stage by 42-seconds from Carlos Betancur and Prezemyslaw Niemiec.

Ahead of the second and final rest day, Vincenzo Nibali held onto the leader’s pink jersey after coming home in seventh, 54 seconds down.

The finishing line had been brought 4km down the mountain due to the adverse weather conditions at the top of the Galibier.

But given the thick sheet of snow around the riders as they tackled the final climb, and snow flakes peppering their faces, that would have been something of a relief.

Having broken clear of his six fellow breakaway companions on the penultimate climb up the Telegraphe, Visconti reached the Galibier with a couple of minutes on his chasers.

And the 30-year-old Sicilian held on up to the finish at 2,301-metres before collapsing exhausted after the finishing line.

Any hopes of fireworks amongst the overall contenders failed to materialise on the draining final climb.

Nibali briefly stretched his legs but gained little and was quickly reeled back in before the favourites all came home in the same bunch.

Australian Cadel Evans remains second at 1min 26sec with Colombia’s Rigoberto Uran third at 2min 46sec.