Cycling

Giro d'Italia, Vingegaard wins solo in Pila and takes the pink jersey

Third stage victory for the Danish rider who snatched the pink jersey from Portugal's Eulalio

by Dario Ceccarelli

23 May 2026

Ciclismo - Giro d'Italia - 14ª tappa - Da Aosta a Pila - Italia - 23 maggio 2026 Jonas Vingegaard del Team Visma - Lease a Bike festeggia dopo aver tagliato il traguardo e aver vinto la 14ª tappa REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini REUTERS

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Here it is, the judgement. Dry, incontrovertible, beyond any reasonable doubt. Until now, glimpsing a few cracks here and there, a few small cogs not perfectly oiled, some had hoped that he was not so irresistible, that perhaps he had come here to Italia to train for the Tour de France and do a bit of filming to earn his travel and expenses.

And instead, in the first real stage, the 14th (Aosta-Pila of 133 km) with 5 GPs and more than 4350 metres of altitude difference, the Dane Jonas Vingegaard, the great favourite of the Giro, in one fell swoop silenced the sceptics by taking both the stage and the pink jersey, defended with great dignity by the Portuguese Afonso Eulalio, but honourably lost here in Pila, after 16 km of climbing with gradients of up to ten per cent.

Captain Vingo did what good captains usually do: first he made his Visma lieutenants (Campenaerts, Kuss and Piganzoli) work hard, setting a fast pace in the top group, and then with about 4.5 km to go he took off to win with a lead of about fifty seconds over the usual Felix Gall, then followed by Hindley (+58"), Davide Piganzoli and Giulio Pellizzari, who arrived together with the same time (+1.03").

The former pink jersey, Eulalio, escorted by the trusty Damiano Caruso, came through after almost two and a half minutes. Not upset, however. Having collapsed in the middle of the last section, the Portuguese rider then recovered, thanks in part to the thoughtful urging of Caruso, who was perfect in his role as Bahrain's tried-and-tested probiviro and affectionate guardian of Eulalio, who can nevertheless boast of having worn the pink jersey for nine days.

The dream is over, but for a young man of 24, born in Figueras, between waves and beaches, this is no mean feat. Still, he remains second in the ranking, a thought for the podium may do him in.

In short, Captain Vingo made a splash. He didn't exactly kill off the Giro, but in short, the iron fist beat him. And the results in the classification show: in second place, behind the Dane, is Eulalio (+2.26"). In third was the Austrian Gal(+2.50"). In fourth is the Dutchman Arensman with over three minutes. Our Giulio Pellizzari, who was under special observation after the crisis of the past few days, is sixth at almost four and a half minutes. Ahead of him, in fifth position, team-mate Hindley (+3.43").

Well, our Pellizzari did not fare as badly as feared. He did not crash, in short. He even gained a few positions. Let's say that he is floating not far from the podium, even though at the moment, if we were in football, he would not be in the Champions League. But having passed this bottleneck is already a good step forward. What can we say? Let's hope well. We all pamper him, perhaps even too much. The impression is that Giulio is one of those precious crystals to be handled with care. Certainly seeing how Davide Piganzoli brought up Vingegaard, with which attitude he escorted him ('I knew that, after my teammates, it would be my turn. I cared about it, Jonas is a fantastic captain'), one would like to see him not only serving others. However Davide, from Morbegno in Valtellina, is only 23 years old. He will decide what to do when he grows up.

Returning to Vingegaard, 51st victory, his third at this Giro, it must be said that he is very different from his rival, Thaddeus the Cannibal. Jonas doesn't bite, he wins in softness with that good smile, like the Fisher King, who almost seems to apologise for leaving his rivals behind.

At the rollercoaster, after the race, Eulalio and I were talking like old friends who forgive each other a few spitefulnesses, who know that in the race you have to get there before each other in the end. Next week there are still several climbs, anything can happen, but the problem is that there is no opponent to match the Dane, already winner of two Tours and a Vuelta. A 29-year-old talent, who managed to beat Pogacar and who if he wins this Giro would become the eighth champion in history to sign the Triple Crown (Giro, Tour and Vuelta).

Who are the others? Here they are: Anquetil, Gimondi, Merckx, Hinault, Contador Nibali and Froome, the aristocracy of cycling.

"This was the day I had been waiting for," said Vingegaard. "I had marked this stage with an x, here I wanted to take control of the race and win the pink jersey. My teammates were great, I just had to complete their work. And now? I look at the classification and I'm really satisfied. It went even better than I thought it would."

Finally, after the exertions of Saturday, comes a relatively quiet Sunday. From Voghera we go to Milan via Pavia. 157 kilometres that couldn't be flatter to give vent to the sprinters and let the big guys rest before the grand finale that starts again on Tuesday 26 May from Bellinzona. This Sunday it is hoped that Jonathan Milan, our sprinter from Friuli, will finally succeed in a sprint after a 16-kilometre circuit with few bends to be repeated four times. And if we don't see Milan on the podium, we will at least see Milan, which on Sundays in May, with its Napoleonic boulevards and futuristic skyline, is always a surprising sight.