In freezing temperatures and incessant rain and sleet, the peloton gathered in Livigno for the start of stage sixteen. After teams and riders had already expressed doubts about descending the Umbrail pass in these weather conditions earlier, and much deliberation at the start, it was decided to start the race only after that descent. In the car, the peloton made the move from Livigno to new starting place Spondigna.

Sports director Marc Reef is disappointed that taking that decision took so long. "It was a very hectic morning. There was a lot of consternation and it is unfortunate that taking the right decision took so long. It disrupted the whole preparation of the riders. As far as we were concerned, the right solution was to start the race at this location, but that decision could have been made much earlier. The race itself ended up being a day for the general classification riders. We are happy that all four guys made it to the finish line in one piece."

On one of the two remaining climbs in the course, Jan Tratnik briefly tried to slip into a breakaway and Attila Valter held on for a long time. The Hungarian eventually crossed the line in 21st place. Valter: "To be honest, there was still something in my legs. The conditions were tough. I probably could have gone a little deeper at the end, but I recognized that it was of little use because the head of the race was out of the picture. I better save that energy for the next few days."