East Tyrolean Delivers a Convincing Performance

Historic! Gall finishes the Giro d’Italia in second place

Felix Gall(Bild: AP/Andrew Medichini)

Now it’s official: Felix Gall finished the 2026 Giro d’Italia in second place and has reached new heights with his first podium finish at a Grand Tour! The East Tyrolean was only beaten by the dominant overall winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma) from Denmark, who celebrated his first Giro triumph with a 5:22-minute lead over the Decathlon captain. Local hero Jonathan Milan claimed the stage victory on the 21st and final stage of the 109th Giro d’Italia in Rome in a bunch sprint.

Gall finished second on five of the mountain stages; only Vingegaard remained untouchable throughout. The 29-year-old completed his Grand Tour trophy collection following victories at the Tour de France (2022, 2023) and the Vuelta (2025). Gall, who also finished fourth in the mountains classification, achieved the best result by an Austrian in the three major cycling tours. The previous record was held by Adolf Christian, who finished third overall in the 1957 Tour de France.

Key domestique Mühlberger also in the top 15
Behind Gall, who finished fifth in last year’s Tour de France, former Giro winner Jai Hindley (+6:25 min./Red Bull) rounded out the podium. With Gregor Mühlberger, Gall’s friend and key domestique, in 15th place (+23:53), another Austrian had reason to celebrate a strong result. “Thanks, champ!!!” Gall wrote to his Decathlon teammate on Instagram.

On the final 131-kilometer stage through the Eternal City, the leaders were, as is traditional, no longer seriously challenged. In the closing stages, Tobias Bayer (Alpecin), the third Austrian in this year’s Giro, was part of a two-man breakaway group, though they had no chance of winning the stage. Time trial specialist Filippo Ganna also tried his luck but was eventually caught. In the sprint, Lidl pro Milan celebrated his long-awaited first stage win in this edition.

The Tour de France remains the ultimate goal
As for Gall, his now officially confirmed second-place finish behind Vingegaard is definitely a promising sign for the future. Thanks to his brilliant performance at the Giro, climbing onto the podium at the Tour has become a more realistic prospect for the 2015 Junior World Champion. “The Tour is just the Tour,” Gall emphasized in Italy, while making it clear that the Giro podium takes precedence over his fifth-place finish in the Tour in 2025. Whether he returns to the Grande Boucle next year—where his star rose in 2023 with a victory on the queen stage—also depends on a 19-year-old Frenchman.

His teammate Paul Seixas is one of the rising superstars who is expected to cause a sensation in July during his Tour debut for the Decathlon team, which has been significantly bolstered by millions in sponsorship from the logistics company CMA CGM. Given the potentially contentious role of Tour captain in the future, it is conceivable that Gall will switch teams once his current contract expires at the end of the year.

Will he stay with the team alongside super-talent Seixas?
After his strong Giro performance, there will be no shortage of offers from other top teams with the prospect of the sole leadership role at the Tour. Nevertheless, it is quite likely that hewill remainwith the French team, for whom he has been riding since 2022. Not least because he feels right at home with the team, which has now risen to the top tier, and has a friend in Mühlberger as a trusted confidant by his side. This year’s significantly increased team budget allows Gall to be perfectly supported by top-tier staff in all areas. And high-caliber teammates are just as essential for a stage racer as his own skills.

Time-trial weakness as the only shortcoming
Gall’s potential on the bike has not yet been fully realized. Uphill, hardly anyone can outdo him, but he still has considerable problems in time trials. To be able to win a (major) stage race in the future, however, Gall will have to work harder on this. Because all the top stars have a significant edge over him in the battle against the clock. Gall also occasionally struggles on particularly dangerous descents.

However, his more cautious riding style has likely already saved him from more than a few crashes and serious injuries—one such crash proved fatal for his potential podium rival Adam Yates at the Giro. Gall also benefited from the last-minute withdrawals of several top riders, such as Joao Almeida, and above all the absence of superstar Tadej Pogacar. However, Gall may still see the dominant top star again this year at the Vuelta.

The results of Stage 21:
1. Jonathan Milan (ITA) Lidl 3:05:50 hrs.
2. Giovanni Lonardi (ITA) Polti
3. Paul Penhoet (FRA) FDJ
Also:
32. Tobias Bayer (AUT) Alpecin
34. Felix Gall (AUT) Decathlon
35. Gregor Mühlberger (AUT) Decathlon – all same time

The standings in the general classification:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) Visma 83:22:51 hours
2. Felix Gall (AUT) Decathlon +5:22 min.
3. Jai Hindley (AUS) Red Bull-Bora +6:25
Also:
15. Gregor Mühlberger (AUT) Decathlon +23:53
80. Tobias Bayer (AUT) Alpecin +4:00:21 hrs.