Vingegaard Takes Command in Giro d'Italia
Jonas Vingegaard asserted his dominance last weekend by taking control of the race during the penultimate stage of the Giro d'Italia.
Overall leader Jonas Vingegaard launched a decisive attack on the challenging final climb to claim victory in Saturday's stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia.
This win virtually guarantees the 29-year-old Danish cyclist the overall race victory, provided he completes Sunday's final stage in Rome safely. Achieving this would make him only the eighth cyclist to win the triple crown of road cycling's three-week Grand Tours.
The two-time Tour de France champion, who also secured victory in last year's Vuelta a España, is participating in the Giro for the first time.
He began the penultimate stage, which covered 200 kilometers from Gemona del Friuli to Piancavallo, with a lead of four minutes and three seconds over second-placed Felix Gall of Austria in the general classification.
Vingegaard maintained a cautious approach during the first two-thirds of the stage, riding safely within the peloton between two of his Visma-Lease a Bike teammates. He then launched his attack in the final 10 kilometers.
Felix Gall attempted to chase down Vingegaard during the attack, but the Danish rider extended his lead to more than a minute with five kilometers remaining, securing a remarkable solo victory. He finished one minute and 15 seconds ahead of Gall, with local favorite Giulio Ciccone completing the podium.
