By Chris McKhann

The 100th edition of the Giro d'Italia has proven to be an exciting spectacle so far, with surprises on almost every stage and many pre-race expectations being broken. 

Stage 1

May 5: Alghero - Olbia
The opening stage of the three-week tour was dominated by "sprinters' stages," but that doesn't mean that a sprinter won. The first stage was nice and flat, and several of the sprinters, including Andre Greipel, dreamed of their first pink jersey for the overall lead. But the virtually unknown Lukas Pöstlberger stole the day by riding off the front and holding a gap for the last kilometer to take the win and the initial "maglia rosa."

Stage 2

May 6: Olbia - Tortoli
Greipel did get his win, and his pink jersey, on Stage 2. Caleb Ewan, who had won the group sprint behind Pöstlberger the day before, looked poised for the win. Ewan had a great leadout from his team and got a good jump. But he then bumped Fernando Gaviria, and Ewan's foot slipped out of the pedal. This is a rare occurrence in road racing, but it put an end to Ewan's sprint as he crossed the line in ninth. 

Stage 3

May 7: Tortoli - Cagliari
On a day highlighted mostly by the wind, it was Gaviria who seized Stage 3. Crosswinds late in the day forced the peloton into echelons, diagonal lines that broke the pack into much smaller groups as they tried to find shelter from the wind. Greipel fought to hold onto the leader's pink jersey, but he blamed his own slipped pedal to losing the first group and ultimately the overall lead.

Rest Day 1 (May 8)

Stage 4

May 9: Cefalu - Etna
Stage 4 was the first of the climbing stages. A breakaway pack held off the front as it climbed the Mount Etna volcano, and it was Jan Polanc who took the stage win out of the small group. The sprinters were dropped by their climbing counterparts, and Quick-Step's Bob Jungels snagged the overall lead as the GC favorites, including Vicenzo Nibali, Thibaut Pinot and Nairo Quintana, climbed into the top 10 places. 

Stage 5

May 10: Pedara - Messina
The sprinters were back at it on Stage 5. Gaviria again rose to the challenge, as his Quick-Step team did a nice leadout to put him into position. The team also held onto Jungels' pink jersey as the overall standings were little changed. 

Stage 6

May 11: Reggio Calabria - Terme Luigiane
A breakaway dominated Stage 6, which was not unexpected given the rolling terrain. A group of three came into the final short climb, and it was Silvan Dillier who got the finish line first. Pöstlberger showed he was a figure to be contended with deep into the race by crossing the line in third. Again, the overall placings were little changed as Jungels and the other leaders came in less than a minute later. 

Stage 7

May 12: Castroviillari - Alberobello
The next day had all sorts of fun, starting with a rollout at the start by actor and cycling enthusiast Patrick Dempsey. Then, there was the breakaway by Fonzi and Ponzi. Pöstlberger was back at it, but it was Ewan who pipped Gaviria at the line to finally get his stage win.

Stage 8

May 13: Molfetta - Paschici
The home fans got their hopes up as two Italian riders got into the 15-man breakaway that held off to the finish. It looked like Valerio Conti would be able to give the fans what they wanted, but he crashed in a corner in the last kilometer. It was Gorka Izagirre who took the win, while the general standing again remained relatively unchanged.

Stage 9

May 14: Montenero de Bisaccia - Blockhaus
The mountain finish on Stage 9 was where the overall race contention really heated up. Quintana's team paced him up the final climb before he jumped away. Initially, Nibali and Pinot were able to get onto Quintana's wheel. But another acceleration put the diminutive Columbian alone at the front. He rode away for the stage win and the pink jersey, which he held by 24 seconds over Pinot and Tom Dumoulin. Known for his time-trialing prowess, Dumoulin had steadily climbed to pass Nibali and work with Pinot to limit the time lost. The other news of the day came from a crash, as Wilco Kelderman hit a motorcycle that had stopped on the side of the road and took out several others, including top riders Adam Yates and Geraint Thomas.

Rest Day 2 (May 15)

Stage 10

May 16: Foligno - Montefalco (ITT)
Dumoulin's day came on the next stage, as it featured his forte, the time trial. It was expected that he would beat Quintana, but by how much was the question. The answer was… a lot. Dumoulin stormed over the course, averaging better than 47 kph (29 mph) over the almost 40-kilometer course. The domination put Dumoulin into the maglia rosa with a significant gap of 2:23 over now second-place Quintana. 

Stage 11

May 17: Firenze - Bagno di Romagna
Stage 11 saw another breakaway of three come to the finish line. Omar Fraile hit the finish first to take his first Giro win. He beat out former world champion Rui Costa and veteran Pierre Rolland. The overall standings were unchanged. 

Up next: Stage 12

May 18: Forli - Reggio Emilia
Stage 12 is long at 237 kilometers but will likely not see any major changes in the overall. The mountains will be the primary terrain over the rest of the tour. That will favor Quintana, but the race ends with another flat time trial, so it will likely come right down the final seconds to determine the ultimate winner of the 100th Giro.

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