Fourth uphill finish at the Giro d'Italia 2026 and fourth victory for Jonas Vingegaard. Like at Blockhaus, Corno alle Scale and Pila, even at Carì (finish line of the sixteenth stage starting from Bellinzona) the Danish rider of Visma Lease a Bike left no chance to his opponents, imposing himself authoritatively ahead of all other contenders for the pink jersey. With a violent attack at -6.6 kilometers from the finish, the Scandinavian cyclist triumphed with 1'09" over Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) and 1'11" over Jai Hindley (Red Bull BORA hansgrohe), further strengthening his overall lead.

THE RACE

The stage began in a decidedly explosive manner with repeated attacks that initially allowed Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana), Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber), Markel Beloki (EF Education Easypost), Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek), Simone Gualdi (Lotto Intermarchè), Nelson Oliveira (Movistar), Antonio Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Christopher Juul-Jensen (Jayco-AlUla), Ludovico Crescioli (Polti VisitMalta) and Frank van den Broek (Picnic PostNL) to gain an advantage.

However, this composition did not please UAE and Lidl-Trek, which by pulling behind them brought the peloton back, reopening the race. A new disorderly wave of attacks led, on the first slopes of the Torre climb, to the formation of the day's breakaway composed of Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), Juan Pedro Lopez and Einer Rubio (Movistar), Chris Harper (Pinarello Q36.5), Alan Hatherly (Jayco AlUla), Jardi van der Lee (EF Education Easypost), Josh Kench (Groupama-FDJ), Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step), Frank van den Broek (Picnic PostNL), Alessandro Tonelli (Polti VisitMalta), Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana) and the duo UAE Team Emirates-XRG Jan Christen-Jhonatahn Narvaez.

While behind Visma Lease a Bike kept good watch, maintaining control of the advantage of the men in the lead, ahead the group thinned further on the initiative of Ciccone, who, having won the first climb of Leontica and launched decisively in the subsequent descent, brought with him Ulissi, Harper, Narvaez and Rubio. With this formation, the quintet faced the Torre-Leontica climb pairing again, at the end of which the Tuscan from XDS Astana lost contact, leaving four to fuel the attempt at the head of the race.

These latter, having passed the flying finish won by Narvaez, understood as the kilometers passed in the valley that, given the limited margin over the group, they would not succeed in their action, and this led both the Ecuadorian from UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Ciccone to be caught by the group before the final climb, which was approached solo by Harper after the Australian, at -13 km, dropped Rubio, proceeding alone at the head.

The winner of last year's Sestriere stage at the Giro, however, had the minutes such that, at -9.5 kilometers from the finish, he was brought back into the ranks by a group from which, meanwhile, a listless Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull BORA hansgrohe) had lost contact. Completely unaffected by the news, Visma Lease proceeded as planned in its forcing, employing in order Campenaerts, Kuss and Piganzoli, who, with the intent of paving the way for Jonas Vingegaard, forced several men from the leading group to lose contact.

From the latter, at -6.6 km from the line, the pink jersey departed, who, after being followed for about twenty meters by Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM), immediately dug an unbridgeable gap for his opponents, launching himself without any opposition toward his fourth partial success at the Corsa Rosa. Behind, while the two-time Tour winner progressively widened the gap, a sextet formed with Gall, Egan Bernal, Thymen Arensman (Netcompany INEOS), Jai Hindley (Red Bull BORA hansgrohe), Davide Piganzoli (Visma Lease a Bike) and Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek) who, with the exception of the Italian who dropped before the last kilometer, then went on to contest the day's podium and bonuses behind the unreachable Vingegaard.

In this contest, the best sprint ultimately rewards Gall, who, closing ahead of Hindley, Arensman and Gee-West at 1'09" from the day's winner, takes over the second place in the standings from Afonso Eulalio (Bahrain-Victorious), who dropped 9 kilometers from the finish and, thanks to a delay at the finish of 3'04", fell from second to fifth place.

Ahead of him insert themselves in order Arensman and Hindley, while Pellizzari (due to a glaring collapse) pays 18 minutes and definitively abandons dreams of making a high classification. The title of best Italian in the standings thus passes to an increasingly positive Piganzoli, who, resisting after having worked for his captain, moves into eighth place behind Gee-West (6th) and Storer (7th) but ahead of O'Connor (9th after appearing very much in difficulty today) and Bernal (10th).

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FINISHING ORDER

1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN/Visma Lease a Bike) - 2:57:40

2. Felix Gall (AUT/Decathlon CMA CGM) at 1:09

3. Jai Hindley (AUS/Red Bull BORA hansgrohe) at 1:11

4. Thymen Arensman (NED/Netcompany INEOS) at 1:14

5. Derek Gee-West (CAN/Lidl-Trek) at 1:18

6. Davide Piganzoli (ITA/Visma-Lease a Bike) at 1:34

7. Egan Bernal (COL/Netcompany INEOS) at 2:04

8. Michael Storer (AUS/Tudor Pro Cycling) at 2:18

9. Mathys Rondel (FRA/Tudor Pro Cycling) at 2:55

10. Wouter Poels (NED/Unibet Rose Rockets) at 3:04

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Jonas Vingegaard (DAN/Visma Lease a Bike) - 62:10:26

2. Felix Gall (AUT/Decathlon CMA CGM) at 4:03

3. Thymen Arensman (NED/Netcompany INEOS) at 4:27

4. Jai Hindley (AUS/Red Bull BORA hansgrohe) at 5:00

5. Afonso Eulalio (POR/Bahrain-Victorious) at 5:40

6. Derek Gee-West (CAN/Lidl-Trek) at 7:09

7. Michael Storer (AUS/Tudor Pro Cycling) at 7:14

8. Davide Piganzoli (ITA/Visma Lease a Bike) at 7:57

9. Ben O'Connor (AUS/Jayco AlUla) at 9:20

10. Egan Bernal (COL/Netcompany Ineos) at 9:44

OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS

Points classification: Paul Magnier (FRA/Soudal Quick-Step)

Mountains classification: Jonas Vingegaard (DAN/Visma Lease a Bike)

Best young rider classification: Afonso Eulalio (POR/Bahrain-Victorious)