Jonas Vingegaard takes an important step towards his first Giro triumph in the difficult mountain stage in the Aosta Valley. The Dane replaces Afonso Eulalio as leader with his third stage win.
23.05.2026, 17:24
23.05.2026, 17:58
SDA
In the first classic high mountain stage, Vingegaard left no doubt that overall victory in this Tour of Italy would only come through him. It was uphill and downhill all day long. The riders had to conquer no less than 4350 meters of altitude in just 133 km. In the 16.5 km long final climb to Pila, no one was able to follow Vingegaard. The captain of the Visma Lease-a-Bike team reached the finish of the 14th stage at almost 1800 meters above sea level 49 seconds ahead of second-placed Austrian Felix Gall.
With his 51st victory as a professional, his third in the last nine days, Vingegaard also took the overall leader's jersey for the first time on his Giro debut. For the tenth time, Afonso Eulalio was unable to put on the maglia rosa. The young Portuguese rider had to break away in the middle of the final climb as Vingegaard and his helpers approached the breakaway at high speed. Eulalio lost 2:46 minutes to the Dane by the finish, but still defended second place in the overall classification. His gap is now 2:26 minutes. Gall follows in third place overall, 2:50 minutes behind.
Jan Christen, a Swiss rider, was also part of the breakaway group of the day, which broke away from the peloton shortly after the start and originally comprised almost 30 riders. However, the rider from Aargau, who is aiming for a stage win in his first Grand Tour, was caught again on the third-to-last climb of the day around 50 km before the finish.
The second week of the Giro concludes on Sunday with the flattest section of this 109th edition. The 15th stage over 157 km from Voghera to Milan leads through Lombardy and ends on a fast circuit. Everything points to a bunch sprint.
