Nairo Quintana moved into the overall lead in the Giro dItalia after winning a tough and controversial 16th stage

VAL MARTELLO, Italy -- Nairo Quintana moved into the overall lead in the Giro dItalia after winning a tough and controversial 16th stage, in difficult weather conditions across the legendary Gavia and Stelvio climbs on Tuesday. Joseph Noteboom Rams Jersey . Quintana, who is famed for his climbing skills, finished eight seconds ahead of Ryder Hesjedal. Pierre Rolland was third, 1:13 slower, on the 139-kilometre (86-mile) route from Ponte di Legno to Val Martello -- half of which was uphill. The 24-year-old Quintana -- one of the race favourites -- started the day 2 minutes and 40 seconds behind former leader Rigoberto Uran but beat his fellow Colombian by more than four minutes. Uran slipped to second, 1:41 behind Quintana, who showed he has recovered from a difficult opening two weeks, in which he suffered badly from a crash and also had to take antibiotics to fight a chest cold and fever. "It was raining a lot. We couldnt see any motorcycle. We all knew it was very dangerous," Quintana said. "We climbed the Stelvio together, and we all started to descend. There were four or five of us who pulled clear of the group. "I went at my rhythm. I gave everything today. I was climbing well in the end." Cadel Evans was third, 3:21 behind Quintana, and only five seconds ahead of Rolland, with other rivals also gaining time on the Australian. It was the first time both the Gavia and the Stelvio had been climbed on the same day and the stage was an exact copy of one of the legs in last years Giro, which had to be altered because of bad weather. There were fears the weather would again affect the stage this year and there was brief confusion as it was wrongly reported the route down the Stelvio had been neutralized with blizzards and rain making the technical descent even more treacherous. Some teams as well as the person responsible for the Giros official twitter account misinterpreted instructions to be careful on the descent, with riders slowing down at the top, wrongly understanding it to have been neutralized. "The communication was badly interpreted by some teams," race director Mauro Vegni said. "The indications only highlighted the danger of several curves in a risky part of the descent. It was never said that the race was neutralized or that they shouldnt race." Several team directors continued to insist they had been told by the race radio to tell their cyclists the descent had been neutralized. That came after the cyclists had already dealt with heavy fog and snow on the Gavia. There was a group of 10 cyclists in the break which led up up the Stelvio and although, they had a lead of over two minutes, that started to come down on the climb. Dario Cataldo attacked 2km (1.2 mile) from the summit and went on to claim the Cima Coppi prize, awarded to the cyclist who crosses the highest point of the race first. He sped down the descent, as confusion appeared to reign in the peloton, with some cyclists sitting up and taking time to put on warmer clothing. Quintana went clear of Uran, and his chasing group was 1:20 behind Cataldo as the latter started the final climb up Val Martello, with the maglia rosa group more than two minutes further back. The Colombian and Rolland attacked with 18km (11 miles) remaining and caught Cataldo shortly afterward. Hesjedal caught up with the leading trio and Cataldo was then dropped as the leaders upped their pace. They continued to distance the overall leaders and Quintana accelerated with 7.5km (4.6 miles) to go, as the gradient ramped up to 14%. Rolland and Hesjedal managed to stay with Quintana, but had no response when the Movistar rider upped the pace yet again on an equally steep part just inside the final kilometre. Ndamukong Suh Jersey . Pistorius denied the allegation that he said to the close friend of the girlfriend he killed: "How can you sleep at night?" The accusation by Kim Myers provided a bizarre twist during the trial of the world-famous double-amputee Olympian, who is facing 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder for shooting dead Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, at his home last year. Brandin Cooks Rams Jersey . PAUL, Minn. http://www.laramsfansshop.com/c-74-rams-brian-allen-jersey.aspx . -- Pelicans coach Monty Williams does not expect guard Eric Gordon to play in any of New Orleans final five games this season.Hands-up to those surprised to learn Alex Rodgriguez confessed back in January to doing business with Miami steroid dealer Tony Bosch and using performance-enhancing drugs just as Major League Baseball alleged? Anyone? We didnt think so. Twenty-six years after Ben Johnson professed his innocence to a nation that desperately wanted to believe him. It doesnt take a cynic to roll their eyes in the face of busted athlete drug cheats who profess their innocence. We all know the script of the busted athlete who tries to position him or herself as the victim in a performance-enhancing drug witch hunt. It goes a little something like this: I have always prided myself on my ability to compete clean, I would never disrespect the game, my teammates, the fans and most of all my family. You know the rest. With a parade of all-stars from Marion Jones to Lance Armstrong to Ryan Braun, it was almost laughable that at this stage of things Alex Rodriguez thought he could convince anyone of his innocence, never mind the people who were out to get him. What we need to understand is that taking performance-enhancing drugs is a simple risk-reward proposition for a lot of athletes, during which time they understand the public plea they will have to make if they are accused or caught. So while we might wonder how athletes can so easily compromise their integrity by flat-out lying to the very people who have made them what they are, this part of the equation is settled long before the gotcha moment. Former Canadian sprinter Angeela Isajenko said it more than two decades ago during the Dubin Inquiry into drugs in sports when she described the athletes handbook for what to do when you are caught: deny, deny, deny. Brandin Cooks Jersey. The few who have deviated from that script are far and few between. Years ago, I wrote a piece in The Globe and Mail which suggested it was difficult to know whether to cheer for Lance Armstrong, purely for the reason that he was so dominant in a sport that was well-known to be dirty. The vitriol I received in response from Armstrong fans, many of them cancer survivors who considered him a real-life hero, was unlike anything I have received before or since in my career. They were simply horrified that I could even entertain the idea that someone of his character and accomplishments might be a cheat. And besides, hed already faced-down his accusers in public and pledged his innocence. Did I really think he would let down the legions of people to whom he was nothing less than a superhero? We all know how that story ended. Im sure there are athletes who test positive or are accused via investigation of using performance-enhancing drugs and it all turns out to be a mistake. I just cant think of any. Alex Rodriguez lying and then eventually confessing to performance-enhancing drug use hardly qualifies as disappointment. And he may truly be as detestable as he seems. But in this case, hes not the worst of the worst. He was merely travelling down the same well-worn path of those who came before him. Cheap Heat Jerseys Cheap Bucks Jerseys Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap Magic Jerseys Cheap 76ers Jerseys Cheap Suns Jerseys Cheap Blazers Jerseys Cheap Sacramento Kings Jerseys Cheap Spurs Jerseys Cheap Raptors Jerseys Cheap Jazz Jerseys Cheap Wizards Jerseys ' ' '