Climb after climb, the gaps to his rivals keep growing. Jonas Vingegaard, after victories at Blockhaus, Corno alle Scale and Pila, laid down the law once again in Carì — but this time the triumph tasted even sweeter, as it came in the Maglia Rosa. He had said it himself: “I’d love to win a stage in this jersey,” and at the very first opportunity, he seized it. All it took was one decisive acceleration with just over 6 km to go to shatter resistance from his rivals.
Behind him, the finishing order remained familiar: Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) finished second and Jai Hindley (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe) third, but both crossed the line more than a minute. The big story, however, was the dramatic collapse of Giulio Pellizzari, who cracked from the very first kilometer of the final climb and saw any hopes of a podium finish or the Maglia Bianca disappear.
“This is really incredible”, the Vingegaard said afterward. “My teammates and I were extremely motivated. We had set ourselves the goal of winning a stage in the pink jersey during the final week of this Giro d’Italia. We seized the first opportunity with both hands.”
They took control of the race right from the start in Bellinzona. Several unsuccessful breaks formed before five riders escaped, but Team Visma | Lease a Bike didn’t allow them to gain a significant lead. Strong work from Timo Kielich, Tim Rex, and Bart Lemmen, Victor Campenaerts set a fierce pace on the final climb.
On the way to the summit finish in Carì, the attackers were reeled in, leaving only a select group of favorites at the front. Vingegaard launched his attack with just over 6k remaining. He had a lead of more than a minute when he crossed the finish line. and strengthened his gc lead. Teammate Davide Piganzoli moved up to eighth overall.
“I HAD TO REPAY MY TEAMMATES FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK”
JONAS VINGEGAARD
“It was a beautiful but demanding final climb. The team did an amazing job today. We stayed attentive from the start and never really gave the breakaway a chance. We rode the final climb at a very high pace, and after that I had to finish it off. I’m happy that I could once again repay my teammates for all their hard work”, Vingegaard concludes.
It marks the first time in his career that he has won four stages in the same Grand Tour. Another difficult stage awaits tomorrow in northern Italy, with the peloton set to finish in Andalo after 202 kilometers.
Stage 16
1 Jonas VINGEGAARD TEAM VISMA – LEASE A BIKE 2:57:40 0:10 0:00
2 Felix GALL DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM 2:58:49 0:06 01:09
3 Jai HINDLEY RED BULL – BORA – HANSGROHE 2:58:51 0:04 01:11
GC
1 Jonas VINGEGAARD TEAM VISMA – LEASE A BIKE 62:10:26 0:00
2 Felix GALL DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM 62:14:29 04:03
3 ARENSMAN NETCOMPANY INEOS 62:14:53 04:27
