Peter Maniaty
Just days after extending his contract for two more years with Australia’s Team Jayco-AlUla, Robert Donaldson has found himself at the centre of a dramatic moment at the Giro d’Italia.
The 24-year-old Brit crashed after copping a head butt from Italy’s Enrico Zanoncello during the closing stages of Stage 15 in Milan—the second fastest Giro stage in the race’s 109-year history with a stunning average speed of 51.064 kmh.
Riding for UCI Pro Team and annual Giro wildcard recipients Bardiani CSF 7 Saber, Zanoncello appeared to initially make contact with Groupama-FDJ rider Paul Penhoët before moving suddenly to his right and leaning with his body and head, causing Donaldson to lose balance.
Following the stage—which had a somewhat controversial winner in Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility) following accusations that motorpacing gave the four-rider breakaway an unfair advantage—Zanoncello was hit with a 1000 Swiss Francs fine by commissaires and also DQ’d from the race for deviating from his racing line.
Despite ending up on his backside on the Milan bitumen, Donaldson appeared to suffer only minor injuries and is expected to continue towards the finish in Rome on Sunday.
He received the same time as the peloton, with the stage finish gaps already neutralised after several riders had earlier raised concerns over the safety of the circuit on the streets of Milan, including race leader Jonas Vingegaard.
As the Giro now heads into its final rest day for 2026, three Australians sit in the Top 10 on GC with Jai Hindley (fifth at 3:43), Michael Storer (seventh at 4:46) and Ben O’Connor (eighth at 5:22).
A brutal finale to this year’s Giro sees three high mountain stages in the final six days with a whopping 18,429 metres of climbing still to come.
Giro d’Italia 2026: GC Top 10 After Stage 15
| 1 | Jonas Vingegaard | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 59:12:56 |
| 2 | Afonso Eulalio | Bahrain – Victorious | +2:26 |
| 3 | Felix Gall | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | +2:50 |
| 4 | Thymen Arensman | Netcompany INEOS | +3:03 |
| 5 | Jai Hindley AUS | Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe | +3:43 |
| 6 | Giulio Pellizzari | Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe | +4:22 |
| 7 | Michael Storer AUS | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | +4:46 |
| 8 | Ben O’Connor AUS | Team Jayco AlUla | +5:22 |
| 9 | Derek Gee | Lidl – Trek | +5:41 |
| 10 | Davide Piganzoli | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | +6:13 |
Our Giro D’Italia coverage is proudly brought to you by GradientBlue Cycling Tours – Delivering premium European Road Cycling Tours for over 15 years.
Peter Maniaty
Peter Maniaty - Peter is Bicycling Australia’s senior journalist, and highly respected in the world of cycling. From bike reviews, to destination features and nitty gritty opinion pieces, he’s a gun writer.
