Reports from the last 3 stages:

A brekaway on stage 17 won by Michael Valgren (who leaves the giro the following day in order to rest for other races and he claims he fully respects the giro)

A stage expected to be in favor of escapers finished with a sprint on stage 18 won by Paul Magnier

A mountain stage won by a mountain domestique Sepp KUSS on stage 19. Long breakaway for Ciccone who earn a million KOM points and for Rubio who battles for Cima Coppi and the loses contact. No shocks to GC

The contest

Pian Del Lupo won stage 17. I know Marco since i was 16 and we have been cycling around for years, up and around Italy and France.

I can tell you multiple stories on these but i will call only two:

Once we went to see the tour and we bought on watermelon before leaving italy. We started walking around cycling fans and swapping slices of watermelon for ribs, stakes, and wine… we made good friends. The next day we went down the mountain and climbed it by bike, we were cheered all over the road by our one night friends.

The operation seemed to work and we specialized year over year to bring minimal food and swap it in mountain BBQs.

So a few years later we were swapping a slice of salame for liters of wine with a Slovenian guy (Pogacar wasn0t even born in those days). We went in our tent to sleep and suddenly Marco woke up shouting: “cronoscalata notturna” (muuntain time trial). We assembled quicly our bikes and started cyclign in the dark… no lights… at the first turn uphill Marco was laying agains the mountain wall… we recovered somehow and made it to the top of the mountain. I have no remembrance of coming down but in someway we made it….

 

Stage 18 won by Sander Logtenberg’s San Marino Maradonnie. Sander: i don’t have such a story for you. time to show up for a ride in southern Europe

Stage 19: Pizzoccheroman, the most active of team tri-gliceridi, always (almost) ready to follow as long as i promise Pizzoccheri. it’s mountain time and he is there (but is nowhere when it’s sprint time)

 

Rubio was in the breakaway and you could hear the authors of three teams: Pian del Lupo, Elena’s Team and Pedalatore Intelligente scream and shout from miles away… they all scored a lot of points in the mountains

 

Classification with 2 stages to go

Atletico Lasonil is leading by 17 teams on Ichnusa Virus, with a new enrty on the Podium by Pontiggia’s Where’s Tadey

Daniele was part of the infamous TRI-GLICERIDI COVID RELAY RUN on Boxing day in 2020. in those days you could not run outside the borders of your village so we oganized a relay of 11 athletes and 50+ kms and daniele run the last fraction with the famous climb up the stairs of Erba

Anyway, the competition is still very open

Mountains (KOM)

PIZZOCCHEROMAN made a lot of points today and is now leading the mountain classification followed by Pian del Lupo and by Marco Facciano’s

Tomorrow we will have the first name for the hall of fame of Giro 2026

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