Slovenian has matched Anquetil’s 1960 feat, brushing away his competitors so effortlessly that a tour double may beckon

Since Tadej Pogacar’s stage win on day two at the Oropa sanctuary three weeks ago, the only suspense in this year’s Giro d’Italia centred on the Slovenian’s eventual winning margin, and which stage-winning records he would match along the way.

Three and a half kilometres from the summit of Monte Grappa, tackled twice on Saturday afternoon, it became clear: once again he had left the field trailing, his sixth stage win beckoned, along with a substantial increase in his overall winning margin, towards 10 minutes.

• Dominant Pogacar wins by biggest margin since 1965
• Tim Merlier outsprints Jonathan Milan to take final stage

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar emphatically won the Giro d’Italia on his debut when he retained his unassailable overall lead after the 21st and final stage in Rome on Sunday, winning by the biggest overall margin since 1965.

The 25-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider had been in the leader’s pink jersey since winning stage two, the first of his six stage successes, and finished the ceremonial 125km flat run on Sunday safely in the bunch as Tim Merlier won the stage.

• Tadej Pogacar finishes second to extend his massive lead
• Georg Steinhauser wins stage 17 after soloing clear of field

Germany’s Georg Steinhauser halted the race leader Tadej Pogacar’s streak of stage wins at the Giro d’Italia with a solo victory on Wednesday after a day of incessant climbing.

Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost) went alone on the first climb of the Brocon Pass with just over 30km of the 159km 17th stage remaining, and he continued to open up a sizeable gap over Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier. With the peloton showing no real urgency in giving chase, the 22-year-old Grand Tour debutant Steinhauser powered up the second climb of Brocon Pass in steady rain to take the victory.

• Leader has wrapped up overall victory barring incident
• Riders voted to skip Umbrail Pass due to treacherous weather

Tadej Pogacar emerged from a chaotic day to underline his dominance of this Giro d’Italia with victory on a weather-shortened stage 16 on the Monte Pana as Geraint Thomas dropped to third overall.

Two days after his stunning victory on the queen stage all but wrapped up overall victory barring incident, Team Emirates’ Pogacar was celebrating again, this time in miserable conditions as he took his fifth victory of this race with a late attack, winning by 16 seconds from Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè).