Sepp Kuss powered to victory on Friday’s Giro d’Italia queen stage in the Dolomites, finishing 13 seconds ahead of Derek Gee-West at Alleghe. Jonas Vingegaard kept the overall lead as the race moves into its final two days, with Saturday’s penultimate stage li
When Sepp Kuss surged on the hardest day of the Giro d’Italia. the Dolomites did not offer him a second chance—just one climb after another. more than 5. 000 meters of it over six ascents through the stunning Italian mountains. By the time the finish arrived at Alleghe. Kuss had turned the queen stage into his own statement. crossing the line solo 13 seconds clear of Derek Gee-West.
The stage itself had been built for damage. Passo Giau. the highest point of the race this year. was ranked “hors categorie”—so brutal it refuses to be grouped into normal categories. Kuss. already part of the day’s breakaway. arrived at the summit finish with the kind of timing that leaves the rest of the field chasing shadows.
Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Jonas Vingegaard stayed in pink, firm and unshaken, heading into the final two days. That meant Kuss’s stage win carried something extra: it wasn’t just about taking a victory on one of cycling’s most punishing stages. In his own words, it was always about Jonas first.
“To be honest, (the stage win) was never the primary goal. The main challenge was to win the pink jersey for Jonas and so far it’s looking good. When they told me the other night that I had the chance to go in the break I knew I had to seize the opportunity … it’s something I always dreamt of.”
Giulio Ciccone finished third, 36 seconds behind Kuss, with Felix Gall and Vingegaard next over the line. Vingegaard was not the only rider who looked capable of turning the race at the sharp end. Ciccone launched an attack on the descent of the penultimate climb and went into the final ascent with an advantage of more than a minute. Then the distance vanished.
Kuss caught him with just over two kilometers remaining on the 151-kilometer route. After that, it became less about strategy and more about survival. Kuss described the moment he realized he might win the stage again as something like a switch flicking in his head.
“At the bottom … I thought, ‘Well it’s over,’ and to be honest I was a bit demotivated because I thought it was over but I just tried to focus on doing the fastest climb possible,” Kuss said. “Lots of suffering because I knew I had to push it all the way to the line.”
The finish wasn’t only steep—it was personal. Kuss said his mother would be standing 500 meters from the finish, and that her presence helped sharpen him at the end.
“But I knew my mother was going to be standing 500 meters from the finish and big shout out to her and my family because I really only see them a few weeks every year and it’s hard to stay in contact with everybody that’s far away. So, it was really nice to have her there.”
Vingegaard, meanwhile, kept the focus exactly where it mattered for the championship. He entered the final stretch with an overall lead of 4 minutes, 3 seconds over Felix Gall, while Jai Hindley moved into third, just over a minute further back.
Vingegaard praised Kuss in the way only a teammate who understands the full cost of Grand Tour racing can. He framed it as something deeper than a stage win—an act of loyalty that matched how Kuss had shown up whenever the stakes rose.
“Oh, I’m very proud. Sepp is just such a good guy,” Vingegaard said. “He’s the one guy you would always say he deserves it the most and he’s the guy who would never ask for anything and that he then takes the stage is just incredible.
“He’s been there every time I won a Grand Tour so it shows how important he is. That I can give just a little bit back to him. … it’s just something that I’m really happy about.”
The winner of the Giro d’Italia now looks close to being decided on Saturday’s penultimate stage. After that, Sunday’s ride to Rome is expected to be largely processional. Saturday’s 20th stage covers 200 kilometers from Gemona del Friuli and includes three classified climbs. culminating in the top-category ascent to the finish in Piancavallo.
For riders who follow the Giro across the whole sport, the men’s race is only part of the story: the women’s Giro starts on Saturday and ends on June 7.
Giro d’Italia Sepp Kuss Jonas Vingegaard Alleghe Passo Giau Dolomites Derek Gee-West Felix Gall Giulio Ciccone Jai Hindley Piancavallo Giro queen stage
So Kuss won but Vingegaard still has the lead… sounds like nothing changed lol.
The Dolomites sound insane like 5,000 meters?? My legs hurt just reading that. Also “hors categorie” sounds made up.
Wait I thought Giro was more about sprinters. If Kuss was in the breakaway and won solo by 13 seconds, shouldn’t that mean he has pink now? Maybe I’m mixing it up with Tour de France.
Visma-Lease a Bike always wins because they have the best bikes or whatever. Idk if 13 seconds is even that much when it’s mountain finishes. Kuss saying it’s about Jonas first… sounds like team orders but hey congrats. Still, final two days could totally flip if the weather changes or something.