Updated May 24, 2017 12:22:34

An emergency call of nature has seen a desperately unlucky Tom Dumoulin lose a large chunk of his lead at the Giro d'Italia during a thrilling 16th stage.

Sunweb's Dumoulin still managed to hold on to the leader's pink jersey, but not before flinging it off desperately on the side of the road for an emergency pit stop after encountering stomach troubles.

With 33 kilometres of the 222km stage from Rovetta to Bormio remaining, the Dutchman dashed down the embankment, only to see rival team Movistar press on in his enforced absence.

One of the unwritten rules in cycling is that rival teams ease up in these types of situations, but instead the Movistar team put the afterburners on to sprint up the Umbrail Pass, the third and final major climb of the day.

The peloton's behaviour caused a storm on Twitter with viewers criticising the lack of respect for Dumoulin's misfortune, which looked like costing him the lead.

Movistar's Nairo Quintana looked set to claim the Maglia Rosa but Dumoulin clawed back some time to stay ahead by 31 seconds, having begun the day two minutes and 41 seconds ahead.

"I just had problems, I needed to take a dump — I couldn't hold it anymore," Duumolin said.

"It was after the first time of the Stelvio I began to feel it in the downhill. I had to stop, it was not possible to continue anymore.

"I decided to fight and fight and fight, and then take conclusions after the finish.

"That's what I did. I think that's good, but I'm very disappointed with today, of course."

Photo: Tom Dumoulin "just had to take a dump" midway through the 16th stage of the Giro D'Italia. (AP: Alessandro Di Meo)

Team Sky's Mikel Landa, the last surviving member of a breakaway group, had bravely struck out for the stage win and crested the final climb ahead but Bahrain-Merida's Nibali joined him on the final descent and won a two-up sprint to the line.

"It was a spectacular stage. There was climbing, descending, and then sprinting at the end there against Mikel Landa," Nibali said.

"I'm closer now but Dumoulin has the advantage of the time trial in Milan."

Nibali, Italy's first stage winner this year, moved into third, one minute and 12 seconds off the pace.

Stage 17 involves a 219km ride from Tirano to Canazei.

ABC/Reuters

Topics: cycling, sport, italy

First posted May 24, 2017 12:02:27