Jonas Vingegaard won the his fifth stage of the 2026 Giro d’Italia on the race’s final mountain test to cap off his pink jersey winning ride.
After victory on stage 20, the Dane now just has to negotiate the final flat stage into Rome tomorrow to be crowned Giro d’Italia champion.
Vingegaard will have won all three grand tours following his Vuelta a España win last year and his Tour de France wins in 2022 and 2023. He will be the first rider to do it since Chris Froome in 2018.
Today he attacked on the steep slopes of the final Piancavallo climb, an ascent dedicated to the memory of Italian legend Marco Pantani.
Initially Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) was able to respond to the Visma-Lease a Bike leader’s attack but soon he was distanced and steadily losing time.
Behind third place GC rider Jai Hindley (Red Bul-Bora-Hansgrohe) continued to tap out a steady pace with fifth place Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek).
With 5km to go Hindley and Gee-West regained contact with Gall and the three came into the finish together with fourth place GC rider Thymen Arensmen. The Netcompany Ineos rider had been paced back onto the back of the group by team-mate Egan Bernal and so averting any danger that Gee-West might jump Arensmen in the GC.
Further back down the mountain, Vingegaard’s team-mate Davide Piganzoli tried to overhaul young rider classification leader Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) who had started the day 1.03 up on his young Visma-Lease a Bike rival but to no avail.
But the day was all ultimately about Vingegaard who’s team had controlled the stage for much of the day through the first of the two ascents of the first category Piancavallo climb.
Just past the finish line Vingegaard made his customary phone call home to his wife to celebrate.
His team manager Richard Plugge told TNT Sports: “It’s incredible how the team rode again today. Everyone is paying the price for three weeks and Jonas is still the strongest.”
Plugge confirmed that Vingegaard will turn his attention to the Tour de France following the Giro d’Italia celebrations.
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