Stage 7 of the Giro
Only top favorite Vingegaard faster than Felix Gall
Felix Gall put in a stellar performance on the seventh stage of the Giro d’Italia. On Friday, during the 245-kilometer mountain stage from Formia to Blockhaus, the East Tyrolean was beaten only by top favorite Jonas Vingegaard. Gall finished 13 seconds behind the Dane.
Felix Gall was beaten only by Jonas Vingegaard on the seventh stage of the Giro d’Italia. On Friday, during the first true mountain test of this year’s race, the East Tyrolean crossed the finish line at Blockhaus 13 seconds behind the two-time Tour de France winner from Denmark, making a huge leap forward in the overall standings from 24th to third place. Top favorite Vingegaard celebrated his first-ever Giro stage victory in strong winds.
Gall made a very strong impression in difficult conditions. His Decathlon domestique, Gregor Mühlberger, stayed with the leading group until six kilometers from the finish; after that, only Gall and the Italian Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora) remained on Vingegaard’s (Visma) wheel, before Gall too had to let go a kilometer later. However, the Austrian subsequently overtook Pellizzari and initially kept the gap to Vingegaard steady at around 20 seconds. In the finish, he even managed to close the gap on the Dane once more.
Gained a lot of confidence for the rest of the Giro
Immediately after crossing the finish line in temperatures of around seven degrees, Gall said he was initially frustrated at not being able to keep up with Vingegaard. “But then it turned out to be the better choice to ride at my own pace.” The 29-year-old added: “It’s only the beginning of the Giro. I’m very satisfied with the first tough stage; that gives you a lot of confidence.”
Vingegaard paid tribute to Austria’s 2023 Sportsman of the Year: “He’s a great rival, but I knew that even before the race.” After four stage wins at the Tour and five stage victories at the Vuelta, the 29-year-old Dane has now also secured his first stage win at the Giro. The overall victory at the Tour of Italy is still missing from his collection.
Vingegaard moved up to second place in the general classification, 3 minutes and 17 seconds behind the Portuguese rider Afonso Eulalio; Gall is third, another 17 seconds behind. Mühlberger finished 20th on the stage (+2:57 minutes) and is 26th overall (+8:29). Saturday’s eighth stage, covering 156 kilometers from Chieti to Fermo, will be somewhat less challenging. However, with three fourth-category climbs and one third-category climb, the sprinters are unlikely to have a chance. A short climb awaits at the finish.
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