05/23/26 12:36:00
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05/23 12:33 CDT Vingegaard seizes control of the Giro d'Italia with solo win on
brutal 14th stage
Vingegaard seizes control of the Giro d'Italia with solo win on brutal 14th
stage
PILA, Italy (AP) --- Pre-race favorite Jonas Vingegaard moved into the overall
lead of the Giro d'Italia on Saturday, emphatically taking control of the race
by soloing to victory on the brutal 14th stage.
Vingegaard attacked on the daunting climb to the finish with just under five
kilometers remaining, and no one could follow. The Team Visma-Lease a Bike
rider beat Felix Gall by 49 seconds, and Jai Hindley was nine seconds further
back.
The 133-kilometer (83-mile) route from Aosta included five climbs, two of them
ranked category one, including a huge 16-kilometer (10-mile) slog up to the
finish at Pila.
It was the third mountain-top finish in this year's race and a third victory
for Vingegaard, who triumphed atop Blockhaus and Corno alle Scale.
"This one is the one I will remember the most," Vingegaard said. "Today we made
a plan from the start with the team; we wanted to control the race and that's
what my teammates did and they did an incredible job the whole day.
"It was really impressive how they rode. I'm so proud of my teammates and I'm
proud that I can pay them back. It's a super nice win."
Afonso Eullio, who had been in pink since finishing second in the fifth stage,
was dropped on the final climb and finished nearly three minutes behind
Vingegaard.
The young Portuguese rider managed to remain second in the overall standings,
2:26 behind Vingegaard and 24 seconds ahead of Gall, who moved into third.
"We were expecting this," Eullio said. "Jonas is Jonas. Yesterday I already
told him he won this stage, you know, and I just keep fighting at the finish
line and that's it ... I don't like so much long, long climbs."
Sunday's 15th stage will offer the riders some respite before a tough final
week in the high mountains. The entirely flat 157-kilometer (98-mile) route
starts in Voghera and ends with four laps of a circuit in Milan.
The Giro ends on May 31 in Rome.
The women's Giro from May 30-June 7 will be defended by Italian rider Elisa
Longo Borghini.
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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling
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