Vingegaard Conquers Blockhaus! Eulálio Holds the Maglia Rosa

The first blow, the first solo move, the first victory. Jonas Vingegaard chose Blockhaus to introduce himself to the Giro d’Italia 2026 and to his fans. An attack launched 5.5 km from the summit, initially matched by the immediate — and perhaps slightly masochistic — response of Giulio Pellizzari, before turning into a solo ride when the Italian, 1,000 metres later, completely cracked.

The real challenger, the antidote to total domination, ultimately turned out to be Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team), who climbed at his own pace, intelligently and without overextending himself, crossing the line just 13 seconds behind the Dane. Pellizzari, after his huge effort, faded back among the Australians, with Jai Hindley finishing ahead of him and Ben O’Connor just behind.

Vingegaard may already look like the boss, but only virtually, because Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) still holds onto the Maglia Rosa, managing his effort superbly to finish 15th at 2’55”. He still has three minutes to defend before eventually handing the fight over to the GC favourites. His stated objective is to still be in pink for Tuesday’s time trial.

The Endless Wait for Blockhaus

Right from the start, despite the 245 km of racing ahead, it becomes clear that everyone’s eyes are fixed solely on Blockhaus. There is no real battle to get into the breakaway, and so Jardi Christiaan Van der Lee (EF Education–EasyPost), Jonathan Milan (Lidl–Trek), Nickolas Zukowsky (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Tim Naberman (Team Picnic PostNL) and Diego Pablo Sevilla (Team Polti VisitMalta) go clear, with the Giant of Buja taking the intermediate sprint in Venafro before easing off as soon as the road starts climbing.

Bahrain Victorious and Team Visma | Lease a Bike are clinical in controlling the breakaway and bringing it back at the foot of the climb, with Van der Lee and Zukowsky the last riders to surrender. The intentions of the Dutch team are crystal clear, and the pace set by Davide Piganzoli begins to wear down several big names: Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates XRG), who will eventually lose 4’29”, Enric Mas (Movistar Team) at 5’47”, Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto) at 3’47”, Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) at 2’57”, and then the Maglia Rosa Afonso Eulálio are all dropped.

Sepp Kuss delivers one final brutal acceleration for the survivors, and at that moment Vingegaard launches his attack. Pellizzari hangs on, hangs on, hangs on — but after a kilometre he explodes, and for another kilometre he is left seeing stars. He is first caught and dropped by a superb Felix Gall, then joined by Jai Hindley and Ben O’Connor, whose wheel he latches onto and refuses to let go.

Up front, meanwhile, Vingegaard keeps Gall at bay, triumphs atop Blockhaus, and closes the circle: he becomes the 115th rider in history to have won at least one stage at the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España. But we are only at the beginning. The Dane still has plenty in store for us in this Giro. Tomorrow, meanwhile, brings one of those stages that should not be underestimated — the day of the Marche walls, on the home roads of Giulio Pellizzari. And if we know him well enough, he won’t be content to play a supporting role.

Results

STAGE RESULT
1 – Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) – 245 km in 6h09’15”, average speed 39.810 km/h
2 – Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) – 13″
3 – Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) – 1’02”

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) in 30h59
2 – Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) – 3’17”
3 – Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) – 3’54”

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Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike): “Today we wanted to go for the victory, and I’m extremely happy that I managed to achieve it. My teammates did an extraordinary job, and I’m pleased to have been able to turn all their effort into a result. We kept several options open, waiting for the right moment to attack. There was wind, and at times a strong headwind, so it was a really tough climb. I’m definitely satisfied to have gained time on the Maglia Rosa and on my rivals. It was a great day for me and for the whole team. Felix Gall is a very high-level opponent: even before the race, I knew he was very strong and would be one of the riders to watch most closely”.