 The sixteenth stage was considered to be one of two queen stages , most difficult stages , of this Giro , as it contained many high mountain climbs and the Giro 's most difficult summit stage finish . After the second rest day came an unusual stage , one that was very short in terms of sheer distance but on par with previous mountain stages in terms of difficulty . These stages were won by Carlos Sastre and Franco Pellizotti , respectively , who fought for the third step on the Giro 's podium behind Menchov and previous race leader Danilo Di Luca . Though Sastre went on to win another stage , to Mount Vesuvius , it was Pellizotti who finished the Giro third overall . 
