Fortunato took teammate Scaroni with him and handed him the victory: "The right decision to let him win"

Gathering mountain points may have been what XDS-Astana seemed to be aiming for for a long time, but when the pace picked up on the final climb, the opponents quickly realized that a stage victory was also up for grabs. Scaroni accelerated first, after which Fortunato jumped to his teammate. The Astana duo set off for the top of the San Valentino, where Fortunato ultimately gifted the stage victory to his teammate.

"I'm thrilled that I won," Scaroni said in a flash interview. "We were doing great with Fortunato. When it started raining, we felt we had a real chance." Astana had clear instructions for the day. "That was the goal for this stage: he had to take the points for the mountain jersey, and I had to win the stage." It was a successful day, with Fortunato now leading the mountain classification significantly.

Although it may not have been apparent on television, the two teammates communicated clearly on the final climb. "When there was only one kilometer to go, I went full throttle, and then he said he was handing the victory to me," Scaroni explained the conversation between the two. "He is a great teammate, and we raced perfectly today. The team's work is exceptional; I can't put it into words," he said gratefully.

But it wasn't certain that one of the two Astana riders would win. "On the final climb, we saw that the riders in the leading group were dropping one by one. But when we were together, I wasn't sure if I had the energy to cross the finish line first," Scaroni admitted. "The group in the pink jersey also returned because I knew that Carapaz had attacked. So, I never realized during the climb that we would win. Only when I crossed the finish line did I realize what had happened," the Italian concluded.

It would be the most beautiful victory of Scaroni's career. The 27-year-old rider from Brescia had already won five times before Tuesday, but those victories were not nearly as impressive as the one in 'his' Giro d'Italia. He had already come close on Sunday, just before the rest day, when he finished third in Asiago in the stage won by Carlos Verona. His previous victories were all .1 races in France and Italy.

Fortunato also told his story to the organization after the race. The king of the mountains in this Giro also confirmed that Astana had clear plans for the sixteenth stage. "That was to get into the leading group, score points for the mountain classification, and win the stage." So it was three out of three for Astana and Fortunato, who returned a favor to Scaroni. "We arrived together in the final. He helped me every day to score mountain points. I rode on the climb, and that's how he won the stage, and I finished second."

With a lead of almost two hundred points in the mountain classification (on teammate Scaroni), he believes the mountain jersey is almost certain for Fortunato. "I now believe that if I reach Rome, I will win this jersey. On top of that, we've just won a stage, so I'm delighted. From now on, my personal goal is to win a stage. I think it was the right decision to let Scaroni win."

To help his teammate win, the 29-year-old climber from Bologna had to dig deep. "With 7 kilometers to go, my legs felt good, and Scaroni and I were the only two left. I told him, 'Stay on my wheel. I'll ride at the front, and you will win the stage.' In the car, we heard that Carapaz was attacking and coming fast, but we were riding at more than 6 watts per kilogram, so no need to worry," he said confidently.