Giro 2026: preview of stage 19 over Passo Giau, key day for the general classification

The 109th Giro d'Italia is almost over, Rome is in sight, but first the riders still have to endure two tough days in the mountains. Friday is time for the queen stage – over several famous climbs – leading to a short but steep final ascent. Will Jonas Vingegaard add a few more highlights? WielerFlits looks ahead!

Route

In the final week of a Grand Tour, the battle for the general classification typically comes to a head, and we can expect a similar scenario in this Giro d’Italia. Early in the final week, there was already the mountain stage finishing at Carì, but most GC contenders will primarily watch out for the Dolomites stage between Feltre and Pian di Pezzè.

151 kilometers are on the agenda, of which the first 45 kilometers are still ‘relatively’ easy. Especially when you see what is on the menu for the riders afterwards. There are a total of six climbs along the way, of which the Passo del Duran (12.3 km at 8%), the short but steep Coi (5.9 km at 9.3%), and the Passo Staulanza (6.9 km at 6.1%) form the first triple-barreled launch.

The Staulanza is already high at over 1,700 meters, but the real challenge begins after that. The notorious Passo Giau (9.7 km at 9.4%) of hors catégorie climbs starts. From the base of the climb, there are still 60 kilometers to the finish and 50 kilometers from the summit. The Passo Giau takes the peloton to an altitude of 2,233 meters above sea level and is therefore the Cima Coppi, the highest point of this Giro.

The race will likely already be broken open, but the stage is far from over. After a descent comes the less steep Passo Falzarego (11 km at 5.3%) and a long downhill towards Caprile. A few more kilometers through the valley follow, but these quickly lead into the final ascent to Pian di Pezzè (4.9 km at 9.7%), a second-category climb.

So no long and grueling final climb, but a short and powerful uphill finish with arrival in Alleghe. There are still sections that reach 18% and even 20% gradients to make it even tougher.

General Classification

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Organizer RCS Sport had undoubtedly hoped for a spectacular mountain finale. For a conclusion comparable to last year’s, when Simon Yates turned the Giro upside down on the penultimate day by ousting Isaac Del Toro from the pink jersey. Those hoping for such an apotheosis will likely be disappointed, as the fight for the overall victory has been decisively settled for some time now.

It was actually already clear after the first mountain stage ending on the Blockhaus: Jonas Vingegaard stands head and shoulders above the rest in this Giro, as expected. He is far, but then also far too strong for the competition. After three more stage wins, the gap to his nearest challenger Felix Gall has now stretched to four minutes. A more than reassuring margin, so for the Dane it is now primarily a matter of reaching Rome in one piece.

But: perhaps Vingegaard still has something up his sleeve for the last mountain stages. In the stage to Carí, he already put his teammates to work early, because he wanted so badly to win while wearing the pink jersey. We do not exclude that the Visma | Lease a Bike rider also has his sights set on Friday’s stage. Because, let’s be honest, winning the toughest stage of the Giro d’Italia as the pink jersey wearer is only reserved for true champions. Moreover, the stage (with its length of 151 kilometers) is relatively easy to control for the yellow-black squad.

There is no beating around the bush: if the GC contenders get into a position to win the stage on Friday, there is a 99.9% chance that Vingegaard will take the victory. Unless something crazy happens along the way, which of course we can never fully rule out. The competition is mainly busy fighting for the remaining podium spots, as those are still wide open after eighteen stages. Three riders seem to still be in contention there, with Felix Gall, Thymen Arensman, and Jai Hindley.

The difference between these three men? Gall, as the provisional second place, has the best credentials but his lead over Arensman (+24 seconds) and Hindley (+57 seconds) is certainly not reassuring yet. For now, Gall gives the best impression when climbing – the Austrian has been the best of the rest in this Giro behind the unbeatable Vingegaard – and thus holds the best cards. But the Decathlon CMA CGM leader also knows that one bad moment can be fatal, especially in the third week of a Grand Tour.

Arensman will take note of that as well, but we know from the Dutchman that he invariably excels at the end of a three-week stage race. When the riders are gasping for the finish and are out of their best strength, the Netcompany INEOS leader is at his best. But is it enough to hold off Jai Hindley – the provisional fourth in the standings? The Australian of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe also often emerges in the third week. Just think back to the last mountain stage of the 2022 Giro d’Italia...

Where Hindley is now the sole remaining leader for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, following Giulio Pellizzari’s collapse, Arensman still has an extra ace up his sleeve: his teammate Egan Bernal. The Colombian is no longer involved in the fight for the final podium, but the former Giro winner is performing better day by day. In the mountain stage to Carí, he played a crucial role for Arensman by fully sacrificing himself for the Dutchman. Can he do it again on Friday, as a super domestique or springboard?

Are there any other GC riders we should keep an eye on? Derek Gee-West is making good progress, but a podium spot seems beyond his reach. Afonso Eulálio, Michael Storer, Ben O'Connor, and Mathys Rondel will mainly focus on consolidation, although we fear the top-5 spot of the Portuguese may be under threat.

And not only that, because his white jersey is also at risk now that Davide Piganzoli is gradually cutting into his deficit. The Italian obviously rides mainly in service of Vingegaard, but a scenario in which Piganzoli, as the last man of the Danish pink jersey wearer, takes over the young rider’s jersey and maybe even wins a stage is not unthinkable.

"I would really like Davide to win another stage in this Giro or to finish in the white jersey. He is an extremely good teammate and would give everything for me. It would make me proud if I could still help him this Giro," Vingegaard said to Het Nieuwsblad on Tuesday. Interesting...

Also very possible is that Visma | Lease a Bike will allow a group of strong climbing breakaway riders to take the win. Then we quickly come back to the now familiar names who also shaped the past mountainous stages. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) could perhaps captivate the Italian cycling crowd with a successful solo reminiscent of Marco Pantani and Vincenzo Nibali.

We are also very curious if Giulio Pellizzari can recover after his collapse in the stage to Carí. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider started this Giro with very high (GC) ambitions, but a stage win would be a nice consolation prize. We also expect something from good old Damiano Caruso (racing his last Giro), Jhonatan Narváez, Igor Arrieta (UAE Emirates XRG), and Chris Harper (Pinarello-Q36.5).

Finally, we want to highlight three names. Movistar relies on the tandem Enric Mas and Einer Rubio on this kind of day. The two climbers have already often been active in attacks but have so far come up empty. Like Wout Poels, although the 38-year-old Dutchman from Rose Rockets is having an excellent Giro. Can he finally complete the trilogy on his terrain?

Weather and TV

In the start town Feltre, Friday promises to be pleasant, with temperatures around 23 degrees Celsius. It looks like a fairly nice race day anyway, as it will remain mostly dry (although a few drops of rain might fall en route), and at the summits of the climbs it cools down to about 18 degrees. The light to moderate wind will not play a significant role.

Prediction Game