Spaniard Carlos Sastre staged a stunning late charge to win the 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling tournament on Monday while Russia's Denis Menchov still topped the overall standings after finishing second.

Sastre, the 2008 Tour de France winner, reeled in Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych on the final climb to finish the 237-km slog from Pergola in the central Marche region in seven hours 11 minutes and 54 seconds.

Popovych looked to be on his way to victory when he zipped away from fellow escapees Damiano Cunego and Gabriele Bosisio of Italy on the final descent.

But he faded in the closing stages and Sastre took advantage to claim a superb win.

(Xinhua News Agency May 26, 2009)