Giro 2026: Sepp Kuss delivers win for Visma in queen stage, Thymen Arensman loses podium spot

Sepp Kuss claimed the queen stage of the Giro d'Italia. The American from Visma | Lease a Bike was the strongest climber from the early breakaway after an extremely tough stage through the Dolomites. Among the favorites group, Thymen Arensman struggled. The Dutchman lost his third place in the general classification to Jai Hindley.

The first 45 kilometers of the nineteenth Giro stage were relatively easy, but then one tough climb after another followed. First came the three-part challenge of Passo del Duran (12.3 km at 8%), Coi (5.9 km at 9.3%), and Passo Staulanza (6.9 km at 6.1%). Then came the 2,233-meter high Passo Giau (9.7 km at 9.4%), the Cima Coppi and highest point of this Giro d'Italia.

It was expected that the race would open up on the Giau, but the stage was far from over after that. The finale still included Passo Falzarego (11 km at 5.3%), a long descent towards Caprile, and then the final climb to Pian di Pezzè (4.9 km at 9.7%).

In the flat build-up, there were many attacks. Among others, Wout Poels and Koen Bouwman tried to get away, but the high pace made it difficult to create a real gap. Meanwhile, three-time stage winner Jhonatan Narváez dropped back to the team car. The Ecuadorian was feeling unwell and abandoned after about twenty kilometers of racing. Paul Magnier, leader of the points classification, thus lost his only remaining competitor for the purple jersey.

Top-ten riders on the attack
About ten kilometers before the foot of Passo del Duran, a breakaway group of five riders formed. These were Chris Harper, Nico Denz, Florian Stork, Johannes Kulset, and Fredrik Dversnes Lavik. Just before the climb started, eleven more riders bridged up, including Gijs Leemreize, Mikkel Bjerg, and Jan Christen.

The advantage of the total of fourteen escapees was limited at the start of Passo del Duran because Lidl-Trek controlled the peloton. This was in support of Giulio Ciccone, who launched a counterattack early on the climb. The Italian bridged up with a large group to the front of the race. This group included Jardi Christiaan van der Lee, Wout Poels, Sepp Kuss, Enric Mas, Alberto Bettiol, Giulio Pellizzari, and two top-ten riders: Damiano Caruso (ninth) and Ben O'Connor (tenth).

Behind, however, the action did not slow down. On the contrary. Tudor pushed on together with Michael Storer (seventh) and Mathys Rondel (twelfth), while Derek Gee-West (sixth) joined their effort. They attempted to reach Ciccone and his group. On the way, they picked up the dropped O'Connor, who soon afterwards also had to let go of this group. The Australian was clearly having a bad day.

Van der Lee and Poels in the lead group
This did not apply to Alberto Bettiol. The Italian from XDS Astana thinned out the initial group significantly and kept Storer’s group at a distance for the time being. On the summit, there was again a leading group of fourteen, though the composition was entirely different now. The riders were: Poels, Van der Lee, Bettiol, Ciccone, Harper, Caruso, Kuss, Mas, Pellizzari, Kulset, Jan Hirt, Embret Svestad-Bårdseng, Lorenzo Milesi, and Einer Rubio.

By the way, Ciccone reached the summit first, ahead of Van der Lee. The Italian took forty mountain points and thus closed in somewhat on leader Jonas Vingegaard in the secondary classification. On the next climb, the Coi, the group was joined by Storer, Rondel, and Gee-West. The latter was virtually heading for the podium as the Visma | Lease a Bike-led peloton was riding at more than two and a half minutes behind.

Ciccone collects mountain points, on to the Giau
Under Tim Rex’s lead, the thinning peloton held the gap stable later on the Coi. On that climb, Ciccone again claimed full mountain points after dropping away with Einer Rubio. The two also crested together at Passo Staulanza, with Ciccone in front, bringing the Italian within five points of Vingegaard. If he also passed the Passo Giau among the first, he would (virtually) overtake the Dane in the classification.

On the descent to the Giau, Harper and Ludovico Crescioli joined Ciccone and Rubio. At the foot of the climb, the four had only a minimal advantage over the chasing group. Once on the climb, they were quickly reeled in as the tempo was high. Mas and Poels also noticed this and dropped off almost immediately.

At that moment, Tudor was in front, then Matteo Sobrero took over in support of Ciccone and Gee-West. The latter started the Giau with more than two minutes’ lead over Vingegaard’s group. At six kilometers from the summit, the Canadian began to increase the pace himself. In the peloton, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe briefly took over from Visma, but later Bart Lemmen was seen pushing the pace again.

Ciccone wins Cima Coppi, Gee-West virtually second
Up front, Red Bull took the initiative. The rejuvenated Pellizzari launched an attack about three kilometers from the summit. Ciccone immediately followed, joined later by a handful of riders. Ultimately, Ciccone was first over the Cima Coppi, claiming another fifty mountain points. He would become the new leader in the mountain classification.

Ciccone then, along with Gee-West, Kuss, Pellizzari, Caruso, Storer, Hirt, and Rubio, tackled the Passo Falzarego (11 km at 5.3%), the penultimate climb. The Red Bull kilometer was also on this climb. Here, Gee-West collected an additional ten bonus seconds, while the gap with the peloton had grown to three minutes. The Canadian now stood second in the virtual classification, ahead of Felix Gall and Thymen Arensman. It was no coincidence that Decathlon CMA CGM and Netcompany INEOS were now driving the pace in the peloton.

On to the final climb
On the Passo Falzarego, Ciccone wanted to claim full points one last time, but he was surprised by Rubio. The Italian turned frustrated and pushed on in the descent, opening a gap. And that gap grew. At the bottom, Ciccone had more than a minute on the chasers, who in turn lost significant ground compared to the favorites group. Much was still possible on the final climb to Pian di Pezzè (4.9 km at 9.7%).

When the road started climbing steeply, Ciccone began to lose his strength. Pellizzari, Kuss, and Gee chased the blue jersey wearer. In the peloton, Bernal initially set the pace, but soon Gregor Mühlberger took over for Felix Gall. At that moment, Eulálio dropped off, followed by Bernal cracking.

Arensman drops, Kuss wins
Mühlberger led a Gall attack. Only Vingegaard could follow, although Hindley also stayed close. The Australian rode away from Arensman, who had to let Piganzoli go with three kilometers to go. While the Dutchman was fighting against himself, Hindley, with help from the dropped Pellizzari, even managed to catch back up to Gall and Vingegaard.

This group was still a minute ahead of... Sepp Kuss. The American from Visma | Lease a Bike had ridden past Ciccone. Kuss now mainly had to hold off Gee-West, as the Canadian remained long around fifteen seconds behind. Gee-West was unable to close the gap, allowing Kuss to take the stage win. He has now won a stage in all three Grand Tours.

Gee-West finished second, Ciccone took third. Shortly after came the first GC contenders: Gall, Vingegaard, and Hindley four seconds later. The latter gained more than a minute on Arensman, who crossed the line twelfth. This moved the Australian ahead of the Dutchman in the general classification. Hindley is now third, Arensman fourth.