Mike O'Connor
Australian riders featured prominently as Jonas Vingegaard stamped his authority on the Giro d’Italia with a dominant victory on stage seven’s summit finish at Blockhaus.
The Danish star attacked with 5.5km remaining on the brutal 13.6km climb, which featured gradients of up to 14 per cent, and no rider was able to match his pace as he soloed to victory in a record ascent time of 38 minutes and 22 seconds.
Riding for Team Visma–Lease a Bike, Vingegaard finished 13 seconds ahead of Austria’s Felix Gall, while Australian contender Jai Hindley produced a strong late effort to claim third place, 1:02 behind the stage winner.
The 244km route was the longest stage of this year’s Giro and the race’s first major mountain test, with several general classification contenders losing time on the steep slopes of the iconic Italian climb.
Hindley’s performance reinforced his status as one of the leading challengers for the overall title. The Red Bull–BORA–Hansgrohe rider now sits fourth overall, 4:25 behind race leader Afonso Eulálio.
Fellow Australian Ben O’Connor also impressed on the climb, finishing fifth on the stage alongside Italian rider Giulio Pellizzari after limiting his losses in the closing kilometres.
O’Connor is sixth overall at 4:32 behind the pink jersey.
Australian climber Michael Storer rounded out another strong day for the nation’s riders, placing ninth on the stage and moving into 10th overall for Tudor Pro Cycling Team.
Vingegaard’s victory also completed a personal milestone, giving him stage wins in all three Grand Tours after previous success at the Tour de France and Vuelta a España.
The pre-race favourite launched his decisive attack after strong tempo-setting work from teammate Sepp Kuss had thinned the lead group on the steepest sections of the climb.
Italian hope Pellizzari briefly followed Vingegaard’s acceleration, while Gall also held on momentarily before the Dane rode clear alone in the final kilometres.
“I’m definitely happy that I could take back some time,” Vingegaard said after the finish.
“It’s a good day for me, a good day for us.
“For sure Felix Gall is a big rival to me. I knew it already before the race, he’s a really strong guy that we really have to take into account.”
Despite surrendering time on the climb, Eulálio retained the overall lead thanks to the advantage he carried into the stage. Vingegaard climbed into second overall at 3:17 behind, with Gall third at 3:34.
With Hindley fourth, O’Connor sixth and Storer inside the top 10, Australian riders remain firmly in contention as the Giro heads into another demanding weekend of racing.
Giro d’Italia stage 7 results
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Team Visma-Lease a Bike) 6hrs 9mins 15secs
2. Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon) +13secs
3. Jai Hindley (Aus/Red Bull – BORA) +1min 2secs
4. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita/Red Bull – BORA) +1min 5secs
5. Ben O’Connor (Aus/Team Jayco AlUla) same time
6. Mathys Rondel (Fra/Tudor Pro Cycling Team) +1min 29secs
7. Giulio Ciccone (Ita/Lidl – Trek) +1min 40secs
8. Derek Gee-West (Can/Lidl – Trek) +1min 42secs
9. Michael Storer (Aus/Tudor Pro Cycling Team) +1min 44secs
10. Thymen Arensman (Ned/Netcompany Ineos) same time
Giro d’Italia general classification results after stage 7
1. Afonso Eulalio (Por/Bahrain-Victorious) 30hrs 59mins 23secs
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Team Visma-Lease a Bike) +3min 17secs
3. Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon) +3min 34secs
4. Jai Hindley (Aus/Red Bull – BORA) +4min 25secs
5. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita/Red Bull – BORA) +4min 28secs
6. Ben O’Connor (Aus/Team Jayco AlUla) +4min 32secs
7. Mathys Rondel (Fra/Tudor Pro Cycling Team) +4min 56secs
8. Giulio Ciccone (Ita/Lidl – Trek) +4mins 57secs
9. Thymen Arensman (Ned/Netcompany Ineos) +5mins 7secs
10. Michael Storer (Aus/Tudor Pro Cycling Team) +5min 11secs
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Mike O’Connor – A keen cyclist, runner and photographer, Mike O’Connor is the Editor of Bicycling Australia. He manages the BA website and social media, and loves promoting the achievements of Australian cyclists.
