Jonas Vingegaard produced another commanding display at the Giro d’Italia after storming to victory on stage 16 from Bellinzona to Carì, further tightening his grip on the pink jersey.
The 113-kilometre stage, held entirely in Switzerland, once again confirmed the Dane’s dominance in the mountains as he attacked decisively on the final ascent to Carì, an 11.7 kilometre climb averaging 7.9 per cent with gradients reaching 13 per cent.
The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider accelerated with just over six kilometres remaining and immediately opened a decisive gap over the rest of the contenders, eventually crossing the line alone to secure his fourth stage victory of this year’s Giro following previous triumphs at Blockhaus, Corno alle Scale and Pila.
Behind Vingegaard, Felix Gall finished second at 1 minute and 9 seconds, narrowly beating Jai Hindley in the sprint for the runner-up position.
Italian rider Davide Piganzoli also impressed with a strong performance to claim sixth place after playing a key role in launching Vingegaard’s decisive attack on the final climb.
The stage proved disastrous, however, for Giulio Pellizzari. The young Italian suffered badly on the slopes of Carì and dropped out of general classification contention after a difficult afternoon in the mountains.
An early breakaway featuring several notable riders, including Giulio Ciccone, Jhonatan Narváez and Diego Ulissi, was kept under control throughout by the peloton, with Visma and the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team squad setting a relentless pace behind.
On the decisive final ascent, Vingegaard once again demonstrated his superiority in the high mountains. After Piganzoli increased the tempo, the Dane launched a devastating acceleration which no rival could match.
As he approached the finish line in Carì, Vingegaard celebrated emotionally, kissing a photograph of his wife and children attached to his handlebars before raising his arms in triumph.
Stage 17 on Wednesday will bring the Giro back into Italy, with a 202-kilometre route from Cassano d’Adda to Andalo expected to favour breakaway specialists despite several demanding climbs in the second half of the stage.
