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Sunday, May 24, 2026

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Giro d'Italia stage 14 team reports

We posted the report from stage winner & new GC leader Jonas Vingegaard's Team Visma | Lease a Bike with the results.

Here's the report from Afonso Eulalio's Team Bahrain Victorious:

Afonso Eulálio retained the Maglia Bianca after Stage 14 of the Giro d’Italia, closing a strong run in the Maglia Rosa after several days leading the race for Bahrain Victorious.

The 133km stage from Aosta to Pila was the second major mountain test of the race and the first Alpine stage of this year’s Giro, with five categorised climbs and a summit finish in Pila. Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma – Lease a Bike) won the stage and moved into the Maglia Rosa, while Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) finished second and Jai Hindley (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) third.

Eulálio fought through the final ascent and finished the day second overall, 2:26 behind Vingegaard, while keeping the Maglia Bianca. Damiano Caruso was again there in support, as he has been throughout Eulálio’s days in the Maglia Rosa, guiding and helping him through another key day in the mountains. Gall moved up to third overall, 24 seconds behind Eulálio, leaving the Portuguese rider still in a strong GC position as the race continues.

Since taking the Maglia Rosa in Potenza, Eulálio has been at the centre of the race for Bahrain Victorious, leading the general classification through different types of stages, including the first mountain finish at Blockhaus and the individual time trial.

Afonso Eulalio's last moments in pink as he finishes stage 14. Sirotti photo

The team also made the most of those days at the front, with Alec Segaert taking a stage win in Novi Ligure and Eulálio wearing both the Maglia Rosa and Maglia Bianca during a strong block of racing for Bahrain Victorious.

With the Maglia Rosa now changing hands in Pila, Eulálio remains second overall and keeps the Maglia Bianca.

Afonso Eulàlio said after the stage:
“Today was another fight. Visma went all in for the stage in the final with Vingegaard, and for me it was a very hard day. I just tried to give my best, stay focused, and keep fighting until the finish.

"When I dropped earlier than I wanted, I knew I had to stay on my own rhythm and try to save the day as much as possible. Damiano was with me in that moment, and that was perfect for me. He helped me a lot, and the whole team has done so much for me during these days.

"Of course, losing the Maglia Rosa is not easy, but I kept the Maglia Bianca and I am still second overall. One more time, I want to say thank you to all the team. We keep fighting.”

Franco Pellizotti added:
“Today’s stage went more or less as we expected. Visma set a strong pace already from the first climb, and with the heat it became a very hard day. We tried to support the riders as much as possible with extra feeds during the stage, and I think the team did a very good job covering the feed zones.

"The stage was fast, and in the final we had already spoken with Afonso this morning about not following every attack. The pace was too high, so he stayed on his own rhythm, and he managed it well. Damiano also supported him very well, and in the end we closed the day in a good position.

"Of course, we no longer have the Maglia Rosa, but Afonso kept the Maglia Bianca and remains second overall. After a hard week, the riders will need some recovery now, and then we will look ahead to the third week.”

Here's the Giro report from stage 14 third-place Jai Hindley's Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe:

Jai Hindley finished third and Giulio Pellizzari fifth on the Giro d’Italia’s first Alpine summit finish, moving both Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe riders up the general classification.

Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe delivered a strong team performance on stage 14 of the Giro d’Italia, with Jai Hindley riding to third place and Giulio Pellizzari finishing fifth on the summit finish in Pila.

Jai Hindley finishes third in stage 14. Sirotti photo

The 133-kilometre stage from Aosta to Pila/Gressan brought the race into the Alps, with five categorised climbs and around 4,400 metres of elevation gain packed into a short but demanding day. Under high temperatures, the stage quickly became a test of climbing strength and resilience, with the peloton already reduced before the final ascent.

The day’s breakaway formed on the climb towards Saint-Barthélemy, before the general classification contenders came to the fore later in the stage. On the final climb to Pila, Jonas Vingegaard attacked to take the stage victory and move into the Maglia Rosa, while the fight behind him reshaped the top of the overall standings.

Hindley was among the strongest riders in the favourites’ group on the final ascent, measuring his effort well on the steep road to the finish. The Australian crossed the line in third place, 58 seconds behind Vingegaard, to secure another strong result for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe.

Pellizzari also produced an impressive ride on a difficult day, fighting his way back into contention on the final climb and finishing fifth, on the same time as fourth place. His result capped a strong stage for the team, with both riders gaining ground in the general classification.

After stage 14, Hindley moved up to fifth overall, 3:43 behind the new race leader, while Pellizzari climbed three places to sixth, now 4:22 down. With further mountain stages still to come, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe remains firmly in the fight at the front of the Giro d’Italia.

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Here's the Giro report stage 14 sixth-place Thymen Arensman's Team Netcompany INEOS:

Thymen Arensman set a measured tempo on the latter slopes of stage 14 to finish in sixth place, and now sits fourth on the general classification.

On a sweltering day in the saddle, the Dutchman crossed the line one minute and 23 seconds back on solo stage winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike). Arensman now sits 3:03 back on the new race leader as the Giro approaches its final rest day.

The Netcompany INEOS team worked hard to support both Arensman and Egan Bernal across a demanding 133km test, which featured five categorised climbs.

Thymen Arensman finishes stage 14. Sirotti photo

After the initial attack from Vingegaard with 4.6km to go, Bernal helped pace his teammate before eventually going on to finish 10th atop the Pila climb. That result elevated the Colombian champion two places to 12th overall.

The race resumes with a likely sprint stage on Sunday, before Monday's final rest day.

Reaction:
Thymen Arensman: "I did my absolute best today and I can be happy with my performance. It's really tough to ride in this heat. We have to go full gas. It's a part of cycling, but in the end it's the same for everybody.

"The team, staff and all my teammates did such a good job to cool me down as much as possible.

"Everybody knows that the third week of the Giro is super hard and everything can change every day. Today also changed a lot."

Ninth-place Jan Hirt's NSN Cycling Team posted this Giro report:

Jan Hirt recorded his best Giro d’Italia result since 2024 as he finished ninth after a day-long breakaway on the roads to Pila on Saturday.

Hirt moved up one place on GC to 16th after his aggressive ride in one of the toughest Giro stages in years, which featured nearly 4,200 meters of climbing in just 133km of racing, with relentless ascents from the early kilometres before the final climb to Pila.

Jan Hirt finishes stage fourteen with Egan Bernal right with him. Sirotti photo

The Czech rider, one of the last survivors from the 23-man breakaway, battled over a series of demanding climbs before being caught by the GC favourites with 7km to go on the final ascent, but he will take confidence from his performance as the final rest day approaches.

Jan Hirt said: “It was a short but intense stage. When I saw a big group going in the breakaway, I decided to go with it. We never had a big gap on the peloton, but we tried our best.”

“I’m quite satisfied. It’s a pity we couldn’t fight for the stage win, but I’m happy with my performance today.”


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The Story of the Giro d’Italia, vol.1 Shade Vise sunglass holder Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Store

And here's the Giro report from Gianmarco Garofoli's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

The first multi-mountain stage of this Corsa Rosa had the stunning Valle d’Aosta as setting. Five classified climbs and more than 4200 vertical meters were packed in the 133 kilometers of this leg that started from Aosta - the ancient Augusta Praetoria, once known as the “Rome of the Alps” - and Pila, which returned as a finish for the first time since 1992.

Gianmarco Garofoli carried the flag for Soudal Quick-Step on this relentless stage 14 after booking a place in the breakaway for the third time this Giro d’Italia. Runner-up at the Giro di Sardegna earlier this season, the 23-year-old from Ancona was among the most active in the 15-man group that escaped the peloton’s clutches on the first ascent of the day, and remained at the front of the race until the last ten kilometers.

The peloton on the day's first climb, the Saint Barthelemy. Sirotti photo

More than 16 kilometers in length and averaging 7.1%, Pila put an end to any hopes the escapees still had, as the favorites’ group came at a different speed, overhauling the attackers with plenty of kilometers left until the top of the climb. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) was victorious at the top, while Gianmarco once again concluded the day as the highest-ranked Soudal Quick-Step rider.

“Today was one of the hardest stages of this Giro. I did my best to be in the break, but the peloton kept us on a tight leash. We kept fighting, but the bunch had other plans, as everyone could see, and reeled us in on the climb Next week there should be some other opportunities for me, but until then, we’ll focus on Sunday and on helping Paul in the sprint”, Gianmarco said after the stage.

Veenendaal-Veenendaal team reports

We posted the report from second-place Manuel Peñalver's Team Polti-VisitMalta with the results.

Here's the report from third-place Frits Biesterbos' Team Picnic-PostNL:

One-day racing on Dutch roads returned for the team on Saturday afternoon at Veenendaal – Veenendaal. Starting with a nice mixed line-up made up of riders from the Men and Development programs, the squad were motivated to go for a result and set up a sprint with Frits Biesterbos in the finale. Under some unusually hot late-spring conditions, it was a fast and fierce start to the race with a lot of attacks. The team marked it well with Henri-Francois Haquin covering a potentially dangerous group of 11 that included a lot of major teams.

That came back together after 50 kilometers and a three rider group then went up the road. Behind, the team worked well together and kept each other cool under the hot conditions, and the peloton slowly reeled in the attackers. With the break caught, the already fast pace ramped up even more and the team brought Biesterbos forward in what was a hectic finale. Coming around the last corner Biesterbos was in a good position and could launch his sprint clearly. Finishing fast and with speed, he surged ahead of several riders to take a strong third place; and end the day with a trip to the podium.

Matteo Moschetti wins the race.

Biesterbos expressed: “It was a really fast race today. It wasn’t too hard, but really, really fast and the hot temperatures did make it more difficult than it would have been otherwise. The team did a really good job of keeping me fresh and controlling the race. Everyone was really motivated to get a result. In the end it was a bunch sprint and I’m really happy with the third place. It was a nice day.”


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4 Jours de Dunkerque stage four reports

We posted the report from third-place Kim Heiduk's Team Netcompany INEOS with the results.

Here's the report from Team Lotto-Intermarché:

After finishing a strong sixth place on Friday, Liam Slock confirmed his form at the 4 Jours de Dunkerque by securing a fifth place in today’s fourth stage. “In the end, I did feel that I was quite close to my limit”, Liam says.

Stage 4 was raced at a high intensity under difficult conditions, with heat playing a major role in the outcome. The decisive move formed after a selective phase, and Slock was quick to react, joining a strong front group that went clear and ultimately fought for the stage victory.

Liam Slock in an undated photo.

Slock made the right move, joining the front group that would go on to contest the stage win. In the reduced sprint for the stage, Slock delivered a solid finish to secure fifth place. The performance continues a consistent run of results for Liam Slock, who has shown strong form

Speaking after the stage, Slock described the demanding conditions and the effort it took to stay in contention: ”It was a very hard stage in the heat. The team always kept me perfectly positioned at the front to start the Cassel, which allowed me to save a lot of energy for the finale. In the end I did feel that I was quite close to my limit, so I tried to find my own pace. Unfortunately, the chasers just managed to come back to my wheel."

With one stage remaining, Slock and the entire Intermarché-Lotto team will focus on protecting their place near the top of the general classification.