Sepp Kuss won the queen stage of the Giro, Jonas Vingegaard firmly holds the pink jersey two days before the finish
American cyclist Sepp Kuss, a member of Team Visma | Lease a Bike, won stage 19 of the 109th edition of the Giro d'Italia, ridden on May 29, 2026, from Feltre to the finish in Alleghe, specifically on the Piani di Pezzè climb. According to results published by specialized cycling services and race reports, Kuss triumphed on one of the hardest stages of this year's Giro, while his teammate Jonas Vingegaard retained the lead in the general classification. The Danish rider enters the final two days as the wearer of the maglia rosa, the pink jersey that marks the leader in the overall standings. In doing so, Visma | Lease a Bike once again confirmed its dominant role in the final week of the race, not only through control of the standings but also by taking a stage victory on terrain expected to create the biggest gaps among the contenders for the overall title.
Kuss's victory also has broader sporting significance because he is a rider who has for years been known as one of the most reliable mountain domestiques in the strongest Grand Tour teams. According to a report by the Spanish daily AS, the American cyclist, with his victory in stage 19, joined the group of riders who have achieved stage wins in all three biggest three-week races: the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España. This fact is especially important because Kuss is not profiled in the professional peloton only as a hunter of his own results, but as a rider who has often worked for team leaders on the hardest mountain days. That is precisely why the triumph on the Dolomites stage gained additional symbolism: it came at a moment when his team was controlling the race, but also when Kuss was given room to turn his personal effort into a victory on a major stage.
The stage through the Dolomites brought the expected difficult outcome
The nineteenth stage of this year's Giro was announced as one of the key tests of the final week, and the official race profile described it as a major Dolomites mountain stage almost entirely made up of climbs and descents. According to official Giro d'Italia data, after a shorter opening section, the largest part of the elevation gain was concentrated in the final roughly one hundred kilometres, with approximately 5000 metres of total climbing. Such a layout usually leaves little room to hide weaknesses, because fatigue accumulates on every pass, and the final climb comes after hours of riding at the limit of endurance. For teams defending the overall classification, that means a constant need to control the pace, while for attackers it represents one of the last opportunities to change the course of the race before the final weekend.
The route from Feltre to Piani di Pezzè passed through terrain traditionally among the most demanding in Italian cycling. The Dolomites in the Giro d'Italia carry not only sporting weight, but also an almost cultural one: stages in that area often decide winners, change the standings and create gaps that can no longer be made up on flatter finishes. In the preview of the stage, Passo Giau stood out in particular, which according to pre-stage reports had the role of the highest point of the race and carried additional value in the battle for the mountains classification. Although the race was not decided on just one climb, a series of long and steep sections created conditions in which both individual strength and team depth had to be shown.
According to reports from the stage, Giulio Ciccone was one of the riders who tried to use the difficulty of the route and open up the race before the finale. The Italian was on the attack during the key moments and built an advantage over the group of favourites, but in the end that advantage proved insufficient for victory. In the final part of the stage, Kuss used the situation better than his rivals and took victory ahead of Derek Gee and Ciccone, as AS stated in its post-finish report. Such an outcome shows how tactically complex the finale was: the breakaway had its own dynamics, the fight for the overall standings had its own, and Visma managed to align both goals, keep control of Vingegaard's position and win the stage at the same time.
Vingegaard retained the maglia rosa and remained in the best position for overall victory
Jonas Vingegaard remained the leader in the general classification after stage 19, which is the key news in the context of the finale of the 109th edition of the Italian race. According to available reports, the first two places in the general classification did not change: Vingegaard stayed at the top, and Felix Gall continued the race as his closest follower. AS states that Jai Hindley moved up to third place in the overall classification after the stage, ahead of Thymen Arensman, confirming that the Dolomites day was important not only because of the stage victory but also because of the battle for the podium. In three-week races, such changes in the finale carry great weight, because there are fewer and fewer kilometres left on which lost time can be recovered.
Vingegaard's position in the general classification is the result of systematic dominance on the mountain days of this year's Giro. Cyclingnews stated in its analysis of the final week that the Danish rider took control of the race after strong performances in the mountains, including victory on the stage to Pila, where he gained a significant advantage over his rivals. His team did not act merely as protection for the leader, but as an active instrument in shaping the race: it controlled breakaways, maintained a high rhythm on the climbs and reduced the possibility that competitors could launch attacks from distance. In such an environment, Vingegaard did not have to take risks on every stage, but he did have to maintain concentration and respond to every attempt to change the standings.
According to Cyclingnews data, the 2026 Giro d'Italia began on May 8 in Nessebar, Bulgaria, and ends on May 31 in Rome, after a total of 21 stages. The race is approximately 3466 kilometres long and includes more than 49,000 metres of climbing, which explains why the final week had a decisive role in shaping the general classification. When such a configuration is combined with a strong team that has a clear leader, it is difficult for rivals to find a day on which they can simultaneously isolate the leading rider and achieve a sufficiently large time gap. Stage 19 was therefore more than a defence of the jersey for Vingegaard: it was confirmation that he enters the final two days with control over the race and with a team that is still strong enough to take the initiative.
Kuss's victory confirms the depth of Team Visma | Lease a Bike
Sepp Kuss's victory further underlined the breadth and tactical flexibility of Team Visma | Lease a Bike. In modern Grand Tours, overall victory is rarely only the result of one rider's strength, especially in races with multiple mountain blocks, time pressures and changing weather conditions. What is needed is a series of reliable helpers who can hold the leader's position, bring water and food, close down attacks, dictate the rhythm on climbs and stay with the captain when the group of favourites is reduced to the few strongest names. For years, Kuss built his reputation precisely in that role, and the victory at the Giro showed that his value is not limited to working for others.
The official Giro d'Italia website, in its list of teams for this year's race, lists Visma | Lease a Bike with Vingegaard, Kuss, Victor Campenaerts, Wilco Kelderman, Bart Lemmen, Davide Piganzoli, Tim Rex and Tim Kielich. Such a roster explains why the team could control different types of stages, from mountain and transitional ones to days on which it was necessary to protect the lead in the standings. Riders capable of working for a long time on climbs are particularly important, because on such stages one wrong moment can open space for rivals to attack. Kuss's victory in stage 19 can therefore also be seen as a reward for the teamwork that marked a large part of the race.
For Visma, this outcome is doubly valuable. On one hand, Vingegaard remained in the pink jersey and avoided losing control on the most dangerous terrain of the final week. On the other, the team won a stage through a rider who has a great reputation in the mountains and who has often been key in the successes of his leaders. In professional cycling, such victories strengthen team morale, but they also send a message to rivals that control of the race does not depend on just one man. When a team can defend the standings and win stages at the same time, competitors are left with very few tactical options.
The battle for the podium remains open, but the room for a turnaround is narrowing
Although Vingegaard remained in the best position for overall victory after stage 19, the fight for the remaining podium places still has competitive weight. According to AS's report, Felix Gall retained second place, while Jai Hindley advanced to third and thereby changed the balance of power among the chasers. Such shifts are often the result of a combination of physical crisis, tactical positioning and riders' ability to maintain stability in the third week. At the end of a Grand Tour, gaps among podium contenders can be measured in minutes, but also in tens of seconds, so every mountain section and every descent has the potential to change the final order.
For riders attacking the podium, the remaining two stages bring different challenges. Stage 20, according to the official Giro d'Italia profile, leads toward Piancavallo and includes a finishing circuit with a double ascent to that mountain finish, which means that even the penultimate day could open space for attacks. The final stage in Rome traditionally has a different character and usually offers more room to sprinters, as long as the general classification is not threatened. For that reason, the mountain stage before the finale is the last realistic opportunity for serious changes among the contenders for the top, unless crashes, technical problems or extraordinary circumstances occur.
In such a context, Vingegaard's advantage is not only numerical, but also tactical. The leading rider does not have to attack; he has to follow the most dangerous rivals and avoid isolation at key moments. His competitors, by contrast, must take risks, often from distance or on parts of the route where they can exploit a moment of weakness. After stage 19, it seems that Visma is still capable of neutralizing most of those attempts, but a Grand Tour is not considered finished until the leading rider crosses the final finish line. That is precisely why the final weekend remains sportingly relevant, even when the general classification appears stable.
Narváez's withdrawal further changed the picture of the race
Among the important news from the stage finale was also the withdrawal of Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narváez. According to AS's report, Narváez was the wearer of the maglia ciclamino, the jersey for the points classification, and his team UAE Team Emirates-XRG explained that the problem occurred after a minor incident while he was heading toward the bus after the end of stage 18. Such a withdrawal in the final week is particularly difficult because it comes after a large number of completed stages and at a moment when individual classifications are already in their final phase. The race then does not lose only one rider; the dynamics of the fight for special jerseys, stage objectives and team plans also change.
Narváez's withdrawal shows how physically and organizationally demanding the Giro is. Even when the key battles take place on the climbs and in the general classification, a Grand Tour carries daily risks of crashes, health problems, mechanical failures and the consequences of fatigue. After stages, cyclists go through long recovery protocols, transfers to team buses, conferences, nutrition, massage and preparation for the next day. Any disruption in such a rhythm can have consequences that are not immediately visible, but in the third week they often turn into an inability to continue the race.
For spectators, the fight for the pink jersey is the most visible part of the Giro, but the race simultaneously consists of several parallel competitions. The points classification, mountains classification, young rider classification and team classification create additional motives for attacks and defence of positions. When one of the wearers of a special jersey leaves the race, the balance of interests among teams changes, especially on stages that had until then been opportunities for sprinters or riders from the breakaway. In the finale of the Giro, such details often determine who will try to control the stage and who will seek freedom in the breakaway.
Giro 2026 enters the finale with a clear favourite and stage objectives still open
The 109th edition of the Giro d'Italia is approaching its conclusion after three weeks of racing that included a start outside Italy, long journeys, mountain blocks and the final entry into the Dolomites. According to Cyclingnews data, the race this year had 21 stages and ends on May 31 in Rome, which means that after Kuss's victory there remains one more penultimate mountain test and the final day in the Italian capital. Such a schedule creates a clear hierarchy of objectives: contenders for the overall standings must survive Piancavallo, while sprinters and their teams are already looking toward Rome as a possible last chance for a stage victory. For Vingegaard and Visma, the most important thing is to avoid mistakes, maintain control and safely pass through the final kilometres of the race.
Kuss's triumph in stage 19 is therefore not an isolated result, but part of a broader picture in which Visma | Lease a Bike marked the final part of the Giro. The American rider received personal confirmation on one of the hardest stages, Vingegaard retained the pink jersey, and the team showed that even in the third week it had enough strength for a winning rhythm. Behind them, the battle for the podium and the special classifications continues until the final stages, but the room for a major turnaround is decreasing day by day. If the balance of power does not change on the penultimate stage, Vingegaard will enter Rome as the clear favourite for final victory in his first appearance at the Giro d'Italia.
Sources:
- Giro d'Italia – official profile of stage 19 Feltre – Alleghe (Piani di Pezzè) and description of the route through the Dolomites (link)
- Giro d'Italia – official profile of stage 20 toward Piancavallo and description of the final mountain test (link)
- Cyclingnews – overview of the 2026 Giro d'Italia, basic information on duration, route and the overall context of the race (link)
- AS – report after stage 19 with the day's standings, changes in the general classification and information on the withdrawal of Jhonatan Narváez (link)
- Cyclingstage – 2026 Giro d'Italia results and confirmation of Sepp Kuss's victory in stage 19 and Jonas Vingegaard's lead (link)