Richard Kalapas rode straight through the finish area of Marmolada, suffering and fatigued in the last kilometer, devastated to have effectively lost the 2022 Giro d'Italia.

Having lost the pink of the leader's jersey to Jai Hindley, he no longer had to face the long podium protocol and immediately explain to the media what happened in the last 2km of the stage, which was cracked by an Australian attack.

Kalapas eventually returned to the finish area for anti-doping, but was too discouraged to speak after suffering defeat in the final mountain finish of the Giro.

Ineos Grenadiers had a near-perfect race, but their second place overall in Verona after Sunday's final time trial will be of little consolation. They were looking for their third consecutive Giro victory, and while they rode great as a team throughout the race, everyone was disappointed when each rider finished the stage and learned that Calapaz had lost the Maria Rosa.

"This is bike racing. Richie is a fighter and I'm sure he did his best. We did our best too. We did our best," Ben Swift told Cycling News after giving it his all again in the mountains of Calapaz.

"It was a strange Giro. A lot of the finishes weren't mountain finishes, whereas today it was mano a mano. It's interesting that it was decided on the last climb. There is nothing else to say but 'chapeau jai'."

Pavel Sivakov made another big final turn on the Marmolada escarpment, taking over from Bahrain Victorious to set up the final battle to the line to Calapaz. He was shocked that Hindley got away and also accepted defeat with sportsmanship.

"It's hard to say what to say. I really gave it everything I had. That's sport. Jai, congratulations."

"I actually think we handled the day well. We knew that the altitude would help Richard. But I think we have to accept the outcome."

Ben Tullett, a 20-year-old making his Grand Tour debut, again rode strongly in the final mountain stage, making an important turn when Ineos Grenadiers took control of the race.

Tullett put on his warm clothes at the summit finish and emotionally hugged Ineos Grenadiers' Soinier, who walked him to the team bus.

"I can only do what I can do. Whatever the outcome, I'm proud of him," Tourette told Cycling News.

"It was a very hard stage after 20 days of racing. We did our best. I'm proud of our performance. Everyone gave 100%. Ritchie is very inspiring and we were able to fight."