Garzelli stopped the clock in 41 minutes, 28 seconds (18.7kph) on the knee-busting route with ramps as steep as 24 percent to claim his first Giro stage victory since 2007.
“It’s incredible to win today. This is one of the mythic stages at the Giro, I still cannot believe I won,” said Garzelli, who rode a 34×28 low gear. “I tried to spin in my easiest gears to recover a little bit in the hardest parts. When I saw my time, I thought someone would beat it.”