Vingegaard insists Giro is 'definitely not over' as rivals brace for explosive final week

Speaking to reporters, including Domestique, ahead of stage 15 to Milan, Vingegaard cut a calm figure in the maglia rosa. The Dane had put almost a minute into Felix Gall on the previous day’s summit finish and moved into a commanding position overall, yet his message was clear. The hardest part of this Giro is still to come.

“The third week is by far the hardest one here,” the Visma | Lease a Bike rider said. “The race is definitely not over.”

After his dominant display on stage 14, Vingegaard now carries the responsibility of controlling the race through a brutal final block. Tuesday brings another demanding mountain stage immediately after the rest day, while the Dolomites and the final summit finishes later in the week offer more than enough terrain for the general classification to shift again.

Asked which stages he feared most, the Visma | Lease a Bike leader refused to isolate one single day. In his view, the danger is spread across the whole final week.

“The one on Tuesday is a very hard stage, but then the day after is also a tricky stage,” Vingegaard said. “Then in the end of the week, we have Friday and Saturday, and that will also be very hard mountain stages.”

That sense of caution was shared by the riders trying to build or salvage their own Giro. 

Felix Gall, now back on a podium spot after finishing second behind Vingegaard on Pila, believes there is still plenty to race for, even if the Dane has taken clear control of the overall battle.

“There’s still a fight for the podium, I would say, a big fight,” the Decathlon CMA CGM rider told Domestique. “We have one week left and, as always, a lot can change in the third week.”

Gall’s position is strong, but far from secure. He identified Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe as one of the key threats, with Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari both showing strength. He also mentioned Thymen Arensman, who he expected to be closer on the climb to Pila, but refused to rule him out with the third week still ahead.

“It’s still pretty close, actually, if you look at the gaps,” Gall said. “Bora looks strong with Jai and with Pellizzari. Thymen is also there. It’s the third week coming around too, and really so much can still happen. It’s not just that I’m saying it, we’ve seen it often enough in the past.”

Derek Gee-West was more direct about the shape of the race after Pila. The Lidl-Trek rider endured a difficult final climb, losing contact when Visma | Lease a Bike increased the pressure, and admitted the legs were not where they needed to be.

“It was just on the pedals all day,” Gee told Domestique. “Super, super hot. I wasn’t super happy with the legs on the final climb, but sometimes you just have a hard day.”

The Canadian felt good for much of the stage, but the final ascent exposed him. Still, when looking ahead, he did not see the Giro as closed. Instead, he expects the next phase of the race to revolve around riders trying to reshape the standings behind Vingegaard.

“Jonas has confidently put his stamp on the race,” Gee said. “Action in the third week will probably be based off guys trying to move around him, whether that’s the podium fight, the top five fight, the top 10 fight. There’s still a lot of racing to come there.”

For fans wondering whether the Giro is still worth watching, the answers from Gee-West was clear.

“It is pretty clear who the strongest rider is here and what the likely outcome of the race is,” Gee-West said. “But it’s the Giro. There’s always going to be some exciting racing in the third week.”