Afonso Eulálio aims to defend white jersey in final mountain stage: "The five hardest kilometers of my life"

A minute and three seconds is the lead that revelation Afonso Eulálio still holds in the youth classification over his closest rival Davide Piganzoli (Visma | Lease a Bike). The 24-year-old Portuguese rider from Bahrain Victorious will do everything he can to keep the young Italian at bay in the final mountain stage and secure a big prize in his already successful Giro d'Italia 2026.

"Friday was a super tough stage," Eulálio says through his team's channels. "Constant up and down with very long climbs. I didn’t have my best day. I suffered throughout the entire stage. At the foot of the final climb, I was completely exhausted. I couldn’t do much more. We did have Damiano Caruso in the breakaway, while the rest of the team tried to stay with me. Because of that, we still have the white jersey for another day. That is what we will fight for on Saturday. The last five kilometers of the stage will be the hardest of my life."