Felix Gall explains the change behind his first Grand Tour podium

By finishing second overall, 5:22 down on Jonas Vingegaard, Felix Gall achieved the biggest result of his career at the Giro d'Italia. It was also, in his own view, not a mystery. Gall believes the difference was made long before the Giro, in a winter where he trained more, harder and finally trusted himself enough to push his body further than before.

“I think I trained more and harder than I ever did,” Gall said to CyclingPro.net. “Maybe I was also more confident now. I am old enough now to know my body well and not be scared to push it in training really to the limit. In the end, it all paid off.”

The podium was the result of a plan set in motion months earlier. Back in November, Gall and his team had decided that the Giro would be his major target. The ambition was clear from the start. He was not coming to Italy simply to test himself, chase a stage or ride into form. He came to fight for the podium.

“When we made the plan last year in November for me to do the Giro, that was a big motivation,” he said. “To come here with the goal of fighting for a podium spot. That it all worked out is amazing.”

For Gall, the explanation lies in the way his training has evolved. In the past, he admitted, he had sometimes been cautious with too much intensity. He knew he could reach good condition quickly, but he also feared that pushing too hard might make his form disappear just as quickly.

“In the past I was always a bit scared or cautious with too much intensity in training,” Gall said. “I would peak quite easily or get in shape quite easily, but then also lose my shape quite quickly.”

This time, he felt ready to go deeper. Years of endurance work had given him a broader base, and with that came the confidence to add a sharper edge.

“The endurance I built over the last years allowed me to push it a bit more in training,” he said. “Maybe it unlocked a bit more of the top end. That is what I felt in training. To add a bit more intensity was the little extra push that I needed.”

That extra push mattered in a Giro where Visma and Vingegaard repeatedly set the standard on the climbs. Gall was the only rider who could stay close to the Dane on some moments, although it was not close enough to pretend the gap was small. He was honest about that. His level on the mountains was good, perhaps better than ever, but Vingegaard remained a reference point above him.

“My level on the climbs is pretty good,” Gall said. “Of course, if you compare it with Jonas, there is still quite a gap. But I hope I can still improve a little bit.”

The most important part of this Giro may have been what Gall avoided. There was no collapse, no decisive bad day, no moment where his challenge slipped away. Even on the days that did not suit him, he limited the damage. In a race of three weeks, that was as important as any mountain acceleration.

“In a Grand Tour, the biggest thing is that you never give up,” Gall said. “I did not really have a really bad day here. The time trial was a bit of a challenge for sure, but on those days you just need to do your best. Everybody will have a bit of a bad day.”

“You do not need to do anything crazy,” he said. “It is the consistency that gives you the result in the end.”

Asked what he had learned about himself, his answer was simple.

“Confidence,” Gall said. “I gained quite some confidence.”

The big question now is how long Gall will continue to put this newfound confidence at the service of his current team. Reports emerged this week that the Austrian could move to Lidl-Trek once his contract expires in 2026. 

For now, though, he is still set to contest the Vuelta a España with his current team later this year.