Is Felix Gall the big threat to Vingegaard in this Giro? 'At first, it bothered me that I couldn't keep up with him'

The first major mountain stage of the 2026 Giro d'Italia has left more than just the expected show of authority from Jonas Vingegaard. In the grueling finish at Blockhaus, there was a rider who finished almost on par with the Danish cyclist. Felix Gall executed a perfectly measured ascent, finishing second at just 13 seconds behind the Visma leader, positioning himself as the strongest rival for the overall title after the first major test of the race.

Felix Gall emerges as Vingegaard's main rival in the Giro after Blockhaus

The Austrian from the Decathlon CMA CGM Team could not respond to Vingegaard's explosive attack when the Dane surged ahead 5.5 kilometers from the finish. Only Giulio Pellizzari was able to initially keep up with the Tour winner's acceleration, while Gall chose to maintain his own pace. A decision that initially left him feeling uncertain.

"At first, I was a bit annoyed that I couldn't follow Pellizzari and Jonas, but in the end, it was the right decision. It was good to set my own pace," Gall explained after the stage.

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The gap seemed destined to widen when Pellizzari eventually gave way and Vingegaard continued solo towards the summit. However, Gall managed his effort better on the steepest slopes of Blockhaus, caught up with and passed the Italian, and was still able to regain several seconds in the final stretch. The final result confirmed that, at least in high mountains, the Austrian rider is very close to the Giro's main favorite.

In the general classification, Gall is already in third place, 3:34 behind leader Afonso Eulálio and just 17 seconds behind Jonas Vingegaard. More importantly, he has opened a clear gap with the rest of the podium contenders.

Gall himself, however, avoided sending overly ambitious messages. He knows perfectly well where his major weakness lies against the Dane. The 42-kilometer time trial in the tenth stage looms as an obvious threat to his chances.

"He is a much better time trialist than I am. Right now, he is the best grand tour rider alongside Tadej Pogačar, so I'm not thinking yet about how to beat him. I'm happy with my performance," he acknowledged.

The Austrian had already shown in the past that he is one of the best pure climbers in the peloton. His victory in the queen stage of the 2023 Tour at Col de la Loze remains one of the highlights of his career, but until now he had lacked consistency in a grand tour to truly compete for the overall title. This Giro could change that.

"In 2022, I could barely climb Blockhaus. Today was nice to come back and finish second," he recalled.

He also wanted to highlight the work of his teammate Gregor Mühlberger, crucial in protecting him from the wind during a climb marked by strong crosswinds and gusts that made the day even tougher.

"Visma set a very hard pace from the bottom. Gregor did an incredible job keeping me protected from the wind. There was quite a bit of crosswind, and that made a difference," he explained.

Although Vingegaard remains the clear favorite for the final victory, Blockhaus made it clear that Gall can become a major contender in the high mountains, especially when the Giro reaches the big Dolomitic stages in the third week.