Giro d’Italia 2026

Gall storms to 4th place in the finish of the queen stage

Felix Gall(Bild: AFP/LUCA BETTINI)

On Friday, Felix Gall from East Tyrol successfully defended his second place overall on the Giro d’Italia’s queen stage!

The 28-year-old from Team Decathlon crossed the finish line just ahead of the Danish overall leader Jonas Vingegaard after a strong finish on the 151-kilometer stage from Feltre to the mountain finish in Alleghe. After climbing approximately 4,800 meters in elevation, he finished 39 seconds behind Vingegaard’s victorious U.S. teammate Sepp Kuss. Second and third place went to Canadian Derek Gee-West and Italian Giulio Ciccone; the Lidl duo finished 13 and 36 seconds behind, respectively.

This is Kuss’s first Giro stage win; Vingegaard’s key domestique was allowed to ride on his own today. With 2.2 kilometers to go, he decisively passed Ciccone, who had been leading until then, and thus celebrated a stage win in his third Grand Tour. Gall’s domestique Gregor Mühlberger finished 17th on the day; the Upper Austrian dropped two places in the overall standings to exactly that position.

Gall: “There’s still a big day ahead”
Gall said he had already been feeling good before the stage. “I felt a bit of tension this morning, but that’s a good sign. On the first climb, I was even able to enjoy the scenery a little. The final climb was then ridden at a brutal pace. I’m very satisfied. There’s still a big day ahead. But it was very, very important to get that behind us.” Having reached the finish ahead of Vingegaard, Gall—cheered on by many of his compatriots—didn’t want to read too much into it: “He’s already thinking about the Tour de France or his summer vacation.”

Another difficult mountain stage is on the schedule for Saturday, with the finish located in the ski resort of Piancavallo. On Sunday, the 109th Giro d’Italia concludes in Rome on a circuit tailored for sprinters. It’s quite possible that the top three will remain unchanged over these two stages. The new third-place rider behind Vingegaard and Gall is Jai Hindley. The Australian finished sixth on the day, pushing Dutch rider Thymen Arensmann down to fourth overall. Gall remains 4:03 minutes behind Vingegaard and is now 1:01 minutes ahead of Hindley.

The results of Stage 19:
1. Sepp Kuss (USA) Visma 4:28:33 hrs.
2. Derek Gee (CAN) Lidl +13 sec.
3. Giulio Ciccone (ITA) Lidl +36
4. Felix Gall (AUT) Decathlon +39
5. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Visma – same time
6. Jai Hindley (AUS) Bora +43
Also:
17. Gregor Mühlberger (AUT) Decathlon +4:07 min.
71. Tobias Bayer (AUT) Alpecin +37:52 min.

The standings in the general classification:
1. Vingegaard 75:13:16 hours
2. Felix Gall (AUT) Decathlon +4:03 min.
3. Jai Hindley (AUS) Bora +5:04
Also:
17. Gregor Mühlberger (AUT) Decathlon +20:22
77. Tobias Bayer (AUT) Alpecin +3:26:19 hrs.