Vingegaard wins at the Blockhaus and delivers the first blow of the 2026 Giro

Jonas Vingegaard has his first victory in the Giro d'Italia. The Danish rider from Visma Lease a Bike won the seventh stage, the longest of this edition, after attacking on the Blockhaus with just over 4 kilometers to go, revealing the first real differences between the favorites.

Jonas Vingegaard wins at Blockhaus and sends the first major warning of the Giro

The stage between Formia and Blockhaus was 244 kilometers long with 4,600 meters of elevation gain, featuring a very fast first part and a very tough finish on the Maiella. It was the first serious test for the general classification, and Vingegaard took advantage of it to confirm what was already expected: when the road really went uphill, the top favorite was the strongest.

Visma prepared the final attack

The stage started with a breakaway of five riders formed by Jonathan Milan, Jardi Christiaan van der Lee, Tim Naberman, Diego Pablo Sevilla, and Nickolas Zukowsky. Milan was looking for points in the intermediate sprint at Venafro, while Sevilla was trying to defend his lead in the mountain classification.

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The group reached the decisive block with several minutes to spare, but the peloton never lost control. Bahrain Victorious worked for a good part of the day to protect the pink jersey of Afonso Eulálio, while Visma Lease a Bike was positioning its riders for the final climb.

Before the Blockhaus, they encountered Roccaraso, a 2nd category climb, and the Passo San Leonardo, which toughened the race before the final ascent. The approach was also marked by rain, wet roads, and strong gusts of wind in the high mountain area.

Bernal and Mas give way before Vingegaard's attack

The final climb to Blockhaus, 13.6 kilometers at 8.4% with maximum gradients of 14%, began with the last survivors of the breakaway still ahead, but the situation changed rapidly in the favorites' group.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Visma Lease a Bike took command before Davide Piganzoli began to impose a very hard pace for Vingegaard. The selection was immediate. Igor Arrieta, second in the general classification, fell back in the first kilometers of the ascent, and shortly after, important names began to drop off.

Egan Bernal and Enric Mas were the first major favorites to drop back about 7.5 kilometers from the finish. Lennert Van Eetvelt also lost contact shortly after, while the crosswinds in the open areas of Blockhaus added even more difficulty to the climb.

Pellizzari holds on… until he explodes

With Piganzoli first and Sepp Kuss following, Visma finished emptying the main group. When Kuss finished his work, Vingegaard launched the decisive move without getting off his bike. The Dane accelerated from the front of the group, and only Giulio Pellizzari could initially follow him.

The Italian from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe held on for a few minutes on the wheel of the top favorite but ultimately paid for the effort. Vingegaard maintained the pressure on every turn, and Pellizzari eventually gave way, quickly opening a gap that he could not close.

Behind, Felix Gall improved as the race went on and ended up surpassing Pellizzari to take second place. The Austrian managed to cut the gap with Vingegaard to around 15 seconds in the last kilometer, but the Dane maintained control and sealed the victory.

Eulálio saves the pink jersey but loses half his cushion

Afonso Eulálio could not keep up with the best in the second half of the climb. The Portuguese rider from Bahrain Victorious finished almost 3 minutes behind Vingegaard and retains the pink jersey, although he saw his advantage of more than 6 minutes over the Dane cut down to about half before the stage.

The day also leaves a clear reading for the general classification. Vingegaard won, Gall confirmed his solidity, Hindley and Ben O’Connor limited their losses well, and Pellizzari, despite exploding after trying to follow the Dane, once again demonstrated that he will be one of the important names in this race.

For Bernal, Mas, and Van Eetvelt, however, the Blockhaus was a tough blow. Especially for the Belgian, who lost almost 4 minutes and will have to rethink his goals towards stage victories. Bernal also lost nearly 3 minutes and comes out affected from the first major mountain test.

Top 10 of stage 7 Giro d'Italia 2026

1. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) – 6:09:15
2. Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) – +13
3. Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – +1:02
4. Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – +1:05
5. Ben O’Connor (Jayco-AlUla) – +1:05
6. Mathys Rondel (Tudor) – +1:29
7. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) – +1:40
8. Derek Gee (Lidl-Trek) – +1:42
9. Michael Storer (Tudor) – +1:44
10. Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos) – +1:44

This is how the general classification stands after the first major mountain finish of the Giro d'Italia 2026. Afonso Eulálio retains the Maglia Rosa, but Vingegaard is now in second place after cutting almost half of his deficit on the Blockhaus.

Top 10 General Giro d'Italia 2026 after stage 7 

1. Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) – 30:59:23
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) – at 3:17
3. Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) – at 3:34
4. Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – at 4:25
5. Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – at 4:28
6. Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla) – at 4:32
7. Mathys Rondel (Tudor Pro Cycling) – at 4:56
8. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) – at 4:57
9. Thymen Arensman (Netcompany INEOS) – at 5:07
10. Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) – at 5:11