CARÌ, Switzerland (AP) — Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard secured his fourth summit victory at the Giro d’Italia, further solidifying his position as the race leader. His solo triumph on the demanding 16th stage on Tuesday pushed his overall advantage to more than four minutes.
This marked Vingegaard’s fourth win on a mountain-top finish in this year’s race, having previously conquered Blockhaus, Corno alle Scale, and Pila. Notably, this was his inaugural victory while donning the coveted pink jersey of the general classification leader.
Vingegaard launched his decisive attack halfway up the grueling top-category ascent to the finish line in Carì, with approximately 6.6 kilometers (4 miles) remaining. No competitor from Team Visma-Lease a Bike could match his powerful surge.
He finished 69 seconds ahead of Felix Gall, with Jai Hindley trailing another two seconds back. This result propelled Gall into second place in the overall standings, now 4 minutes and 3 seconds behind Vingegaard. Thymen Arensman currently holds third, 4 minutes and 27 seconds adrift.
Afonso Eulálio, who had held the pink jersey for nine stages before relinquishing it on Saturday atop Pila, saw his position drop from second to fifth. He faltered on the final climb, crossing the finish line three minutes after Vingegaard.
The 113-kilometer (70-mile) stage, which began in Bellinzona, traversed into Switzerland and featured five categorized climbs en route to Carì.
Wednesday’s 17th stage will see the race return to Italy, covering a 202-kilometer (126-mile) route from Cassano d’Adda to Andolo, incorporating three third-category climbs.
The Giro d’Italia concludes on Sunday in Rome. The women’s Giro is scheduled to run from May 30 to June 7.
Associated Press cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling
