Samwise Cycle Racing Newsletter
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Felix Gall Targets Giro Podium After Strong First Week: 'There's Not One Thing I'm Scared Of'
Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) enters the Giro d'Italia first rest day with quiet confidence despite sitting third overall, 2:59 behind maglia rosa Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious). The Austrian climber finished an impressive second on Blockhaus, just 13 seconds behind winner Jonas Vingegaard, and denied being intimidated by the Dane's dominance. 'There's not one thing I'm scared of,' Gall told Cyclingnews, asserting he remains a genuine podium and potential overall threat as the race enters its decisive second week. He is expected to lose time in Tuesday's 42km time trial but believes his climbing credentials give him the firepower to remain competitive through the final mountain stages to Rome.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Eulálio Concedes TT Weakness but Vows to Fight for Pink in Today's Giro Time Trial
Maglia rosa Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) has acknowledged he expects to lose time in Tuesday's 42-kilometre Giro d'Italia stage 10 time trial from Viareggio to Massa. The Portuguese 23-year-old holds a 2:24 lead over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) ahead of the race's only ITT, but admitted flat power courses do not suit his strengths. Vingegaard, who has won two stages in week one, is the heavy favourite to seize the maglia rosa. TT specialist Filippo Ganna (Netcompany Ineos) is expected to contend for the stage win on the almost entirely flat Tuscan coastal parcours.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Vingegaard to Race Giro Time Trial in Castelli Skinsuit Designed for Evenepoel
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) will compete in Tuesday's Giro d'Italia stage 10 time trial wearing a Castelli skinsuit originally designed for Remco Evenepoel. The Danish rider enters the 42km ITT from Viareggio to Massa as the GC favourite, trailing maglia rosa Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) by 2:24 and widely expected to seize the pink jersey by the finish in Massa. Vingegaard won two of the first nine stages and currently leads the mountains classification. Filippo Ganna (Netcompany Ineos), a seven-time Giro stage winner, is the specialist favourite for the stage win itself on the flat Tuscan coastal route.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Vingegaard Riding Like a 1980s GC Contender, Says Former Pro Brian Holm
Former Grand Tour rider and directeur sportif Brian Holm believes Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) is employing a throwback racing strategy at the 2026 Giro d'Italia — riding conservatively in the bunch on flat stages and saving his energy for the mountains. Holm, who raced the Giro himself in 1987, told Cyclingnews the tactic echoes the calculated approach of 1980s GC contenders. 'He's very smart, very clever. People don't like it, but it's about winning, isn't it?' Holm said. He expects Vingegaard to seize the maglia rosa in Tuesday's time trial and believes the Dane has enough left in reserve to win both the Giro and the Tour de France.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Giro d'Italia Week Two: Time Trial Opens Crucial Six-Stage Stretch to Milan
The second week of the 2026 Giro d'Italia opens with Tuesday's 42-kilometre individual time trial in Tuscany, where Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) is expected to take the maglia rosa from Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious). Three subsequent breakaway-friendly stages follow before the high-difficulty stage 14 summit finish to Pila in the Valle d'Aosta, averaging 7.1% over 16.5km. UAE Team Emirates-XRG, racing without their original leader, have won two stages from breakaways through Jhonatan Narváez and Igor Arrieta and are expected to dominate the escape group across stages 11 through 13. Visma's stated priority remains the GC rather than stage hunting.
Sources: Cyclingnews
Tour de France 2028 Confirmed for June Start with Reims as Grand Départ
The 2028 Tour de France will begin on Saturday 24 June and conclude on Sunday 16 July, organisers announced on Monday, a two-week advance on the traditional schedule to avoid a clash with the Los Angeles Olympics. The Games open on 14 July 2028, with the Olympic time trial on 19 July. The Grand Départ returns to France for the first time since 2025, opening in Reims — its first hosting since 1956 — before visiting Charleville-Mézières, Épernay, Verdun, Metz, and Thionville. Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel may face a direct conflict between the Tour's final days and the Los Angeles Olympic time trial.
Sources: Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly
Pogačar Begins Tour de France Build-Up at Sierra Nevada Altitude Camp
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) is conducting his Tour de France preparation at a Sierra Nevada altitude camp, team sports manager Joxean Fernández Matxín confirmed on Monday during the Giro d'Italia rest day. The Slovenian, bidding for a fifth Tour title to equal Merckx, Indurain, Anquetil, and Hinault, will make his Tour de Suisse debut on 17 June before the Tour de France Grand Départ in Barcelona on 4 July. Matxín rejected suggestions Pogačar would reconnoitre the Vuelta a España's crunch stage 20 summit finish at Collado del Alguacil while in southern Spain.
Sources: Cyclingnews
General Classification
GC Top 5 — After Stage 9
1. Afonso Eulálio — Bahrain Victorious
2. Jonas Vingegaard — +2:24 | Visma-Lease a Bike
3. Felix Gall — +2:59 | Decathlon CMA CGM
4. Jai Hindley — +4:32 | Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
5. Christian Scaroni — +4:43 | XDS Astana
Classification Leaders
Jersey Holders
🃏 Maglia Rosa: Afonso Eulálio
💙 Mountains: Jonas Vingegaard
💚 Points: TBC after Stage 10
● Young Rider: Afonso Eulálio
Stage 10 ITT (42km) in progress today
Every newsletter preserved and searchable
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.