Vingegaard celebrates from the peloton as compatriot Valgren takes emotional Giro stage win

The race leader had spent stage 17 exactly where he needed to be, tucked safely in the peloton as Visma | Lease a Bike monitored the gap to the day’s large breakaway. 

Ahead of him, however, Michael Valgren was piecing together one of the most meaningful victories of his career. When confirmation came through that his Danish compatriot had won, Vingegaard’s reaction was immediate.

“It made me really happy,” Vingegaard said after the finish to CyclingPro.net. “I asked a few times about the situation in front and when I heard he had won the stage, it made me really happy.”

Vingegaard’s joy was rooted in more than national pride. He and Valgren have known each other for years, come from the same Danish region, and their families were close enough for the two riders to holiday together during their childhood.

Valgren’s victory came from a long day in the breakaway, but it was decided by timing. The EF Education-EasyPost rider survived the late selections, resisted pressure from Rubio, Caruso and Leknessund, and attacked just before the flamme rouge as the road flattened. The hesitation behind was enough: Valgren was gone.

Behind, Vingegaard’s day was less spectacular but no less important. The Dane kept the maglia rosa, as the general classification remained unchanged. His lead over Felix Gall stands at 4:03, with Thymen Arensman third at 4:27.

Visma | Lease a Bike did not have to do all the work alone. With Caruso up the road, other teams had their own reasons to keep the gap within reach. According to Vingegaard, that did not require much discussion in the peloton. The situation spoke for itself.

“I wouldn’t say there was much communication,” he explained. “The breakaway goes, Damiano Caruso is there, and we start pulling. Of course, we give them five, six, seven minutes, but then they also want to defend their spots in GC. So it makes sense that they start pulling.”

For Vingegaard, the result was ideal. He conserved energy, avoided trouble and watched a compatriot take the spotlight. That economy of effort will be a benefit in the final days of the Giro, with two demanding mountain stages still to come, and it be useful for the rendezvous ahead in July too.

Asked whether he wanted to complete a sweep of the remaining summit finishes, Vingegaard was careful not to overpromise.

“It would be nice to win another two stages, but I don’t expect it,” he said. “There are two very hard mountain stages coming, and as I’ve said before, there is also a race in July I want to do. I also went pretty deep yesterday.”

The reference hardly needed spelling out. The Tour de France is already somewhere in the background, even as Vingegaard edges closer to Giro victory in Rome.

“Of course I think about it somewhat,” he admitted. “I don’t want to completely kill myself here if it’s possible not to.”