Michael Valgren resurges in the Giro with a victory of pure class in Andalo

Jonas Vingegaard took a breather in the fight for the general classification, but the 2026 Giro d'Italia continued to deliver excitement in stage 17. The day between Cassano d'Adda and Andalo, covering 202 kilometers with a second half filled with hills and explosive climbs, was ultimately decided from the breakaway with Michael Valgren's victory. The Danish rider from EF Education seized a moment of doubt among the favorites in the front group to launch a decisive attack within the last kilometer, thus claiming his first stage win in a Grand Tour.

Valgren surprises everyone in the last kilometer and conquers stage 17 of the Giro

The stage began with a fierce battle to form the breakaway. For over an hour, there were constant attacks, and no group managed to establish itself. The pace was extremely high from the starting gun, and many teams, aware that Visma Lease a Bike had no intention of controlling the day, fought to place riders at the front.

Eventually, a large and very dangerous breakaway formed with important names like Einer Rubio, Giulio Ciccone, Damiano Caruso, Aleksandr Vlasov, Andreas Leknessund, Igor Arrieta, Michael Valgren, Juan Pedro López, and Jhonatan Narváez. The peloton of favorites quickly allowed the breakaway to go, and the gap shot up to over five minutes, a clear sign that the victory was ahead.

The race completely broke apart in the last third of the stage. The continuous climbs and accumulated fatigue began to select the front group, leaving the strongest riders fighting for the win. Einer Rubio was one of the most aggressive riders of the day, launching several attacks in the final kilometers, trying to take advantage of the hardest sections of the climb before Andalo.

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The Colombian managed to create gaps on several occasions but never succeeded in breaking away definitively. Michael Valgren responded very intelligently to each acceleration and ultimately proved to be one of the strongest riders in the group. Damiano Caruso, Aleksandr Vlasov, Andreas Leknessund, and Igor Arrieta also stayed in the fight until the end.

With less than a kilometer to go, when it seemed that the victory would be decided in a sprint among a small group, Valgren surprised everyone. The Dane launched his attack just after a moment of reorganization among the pursuers, and no one had the capacity to react. Leknessund tried to close the gap too late, and Valgren was able to celebrate a very emotional victory after several years marked by injuries and physical problems. Upon his arrival, he made an emotional gesture towards his son, showing a Pokemon amulet to the camera.

Behind, the group of Jonas Vingegaard experienced a relatively calm day. Visma let the breakaway go from the start, and the Danish leader spent the day protected by his teammates without suffering any significant attacks. The general classification barely changed among the favorites before the decisive mountain stages that are still to be contested in this final week of the Giro.

Top 10 stage 17 Giro d'Italia 2026

1. Michael Valgren (EF Education) – 4:41:33
2. Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) – at 3 s
3. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) – at 6 s
4. Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – at 6 s
5. Einer Rubio (Movistar Team) – at 6 s
6. Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates) – at 14 s
7. Gianmarco Garofoli (Soudal Quick-Step) – at 52 s
8. David De la Cruz (Pinarello Q36.5) – at 1:08
9. Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates) – at 1:44
10. Mark Donovan (Pinarello Q36.5) – at 1:44