Samwise Cycle Racing Newsletter
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Kuss Solos to Stage 19 Win, Completing Grand Tour Set
Sepp Kuss won stage 19 of the Giro d’Italia on Friday, soloing clear on the final climb to Piani di Pezzè to complete a career Grand Tour stage set. The American, riding for Visma-Lease a Bike, attacked late on the queen stage’s closing ascent, five kilometres at 9.8 percent, to take the breakaway victory ahead of Derek Gee-West. The win added to Kuss’s earlier stage triumphs at the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, placing him in an elite club. Teammate and race leader Jonas Vingegaard finished safely among the GC contenders, protecting his maglia rosa with two stages remaining.
Sources: Velo, FloBikes, Cyclingnews
Vingegaard Holds Pink as Hindley Climbs to Giro Podium
Jonas Vingegaard retained the Giro d’Italia’s maglia rosa after stage 19, holding a 4:03 lead over Felix Gall as the general classification podium reshuffled on the Dolomites queen stage. Jai Hindley climbed into third place at 5:04, while Thymen Arensman was dropped when Gall attacked and slipped to fourth at 5:33. Derek Gee-West moved up to fifth at 6:31 for Lidl-Trek. Vingegaard, who has dominated the race’s summit finishes, sits within reach of his first Giro title and the chance to complete a career set of all three Grand Tours. One mountain stage remains before Sunday’s finale in Rome.
Sources: Cyclingnews, Cycling Uptodate
Ciccone Takes Giro Mountains Jersey on Queen Stage
Giulio Ciccone seized the Giro d’Italia’s blue mountains jersey on stage 19, overhauling Jonas Vingegaard by scooping climbing points from the breakaway across the Dolomites’ hardest ascents. The Italian, racing for Lidl-Trek, now holds 273 points to Vingegaard’s 216 in the maglia azzurra classification. Ciccone has chased a stage win throughout this Corsa Rosa without success, and the mountains lead offers consolation heading into the final summit finish. His aggressive ride delighted the tifosi on the queen stage won by teammate Sepp Kuss. Ciccone will have one last opportunity to add an elusive stage victory before the race reaches Rome.
Sources: Cycling Uptodate
Narvaez, Valgren and Vernon Abandon Giro at Stage 19
Jhonatan Narváez, Michael Valgren and Ethan Vernon all left the Giro d’Italia at stage 19, according to the race’s medical reports and withdrawals update. The departures added to the attrition of a brutal final week in the Dolomites, where the queen stage piled on roughly 5,000 metres of climbing. Their exits came on the same day Sepp Kuss soloed to the stage win and the general classification podium reshuffled behind race leader Jonas Vingegaard. With the abandonments confirmed, the surviving riders pressed on toward the Giro’s last mountain test and the concluding stage in Rome, their teams now racing with reduced rosters.
Sources: Cycling Uptodate
Eulalio Defends Giro Young Rider Lead Into Final Mountains
Afonso Eulálio defended the Giro d’Italia’s white jersey for best young rider through stage 19, protecting a 1:03 advantage over Davide Piganzoli into the closing mountain stages. The Bahrain Victorious rider has held the young-rider lead deep into the race’s final week, with Mathys Rondel sitting third roughly four minutes back as the last realistic contender. Eulálio also climbed inside the general classification’s top six, underlining a breakthrough Grand Tour. The young-rider battle remains one of the race’s live subplots as the overall fight settles around Jonas Vingegaard. One mountain stage and the Rome finale stand between Eulálio and the jersey.
Sources: Cycling Uptodate, IDL Procycling
Giro’s Last Mountain Stage Climbs Piancavallo Twice
The Giro d’Italia’s final mountain stage on Saturday sends the peloton 200 kilometres from Gemona del Friuli to Piancavallo, climbing the summit-finish ascent twice for 3,750 metres of elevation. With Jonas Vingegaard’s pink jersey all but secured, the stage’s drama centres on the podium, the white jersey and the stage win itself. The Piancavallo climb measures 14.5 kilometres at 7.8 percent, its opening six kilometres averaging 9.4 percent and peaking at 14 percent. Visma-Lease a Bike have controlled every mountain stage, and Giulio Ciccone, in the blue jersey, gets a last chance at the elusive stage victory before Sunday’s processional finale in Rome.
Sources: Cyclingnews, Rouleur, Cyclist
Campenaerts Cautioned a Fourth Time in Giro Jury Notices
The Giro d’Italia race jury issued fines and time penalties following stage 19, with Victor Campenaerts cautioned for a fourth time during the race, according to the jury’s notices. Stage 19, the Dolomites queen stage won by Sepp Kuss, produced the latest round of sanctions as riders contested position on narrow mountain roads. Campenaerts’ repeated bookings stood out among the day’s jury decisions in a demanding final week of racing. Jonas Vingegaard retained the overall lead through the stage, heading into the Giro’s concluding mountain test and Sunday’s finale in Rome. The notices listed the riders and teams sanctioned after the day’s racing.
Sources: IDL Procycling
General Classification
GC Top 5 — after Stage 19
1. Jonas Vingegaard — 75:13:16 | Visma-Lease a Bike
2. Felix Gall — +4:03 | Decathlon CMA CGM
3. Jai Hindley — +5:04 | Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe
4. Thymen Arensman — +5:33 | Netcompany-Ineos
5. Derek Gee-West — +6:31 | Lidl-Trek
Points / Mountains
Mountains (Maglia Azzurra)
1. Giulio Ciccone — 273 pts | Lidl-Trek
2. Jonas Vingegaard — 216 pts | Visma-Lease a Bike
Young Rider (Maglia Bianca)
1. Afonso Eulálio — race lead | Bahrain Victorious
2. Davide Piganzoli — +1:03
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.