CYCLING – TEAM Bahrain Victorious superstar Afonso Eulalio all but secured the Maglia Bianca, or white jersey, for best young rider at the Giro d’Italia yesterday, after defending his lead in the classification on the race’s 20th and penultimate stage.
The 200-kilometre leg – the final mountain stage – from Gemona del Friuli to Piancavallo was the last major test before today’s finale in Rome.
The route included the Clauzetto climb before the race reached Piancavallo twice, with the concluding ascent coming after almost three weeks of racing.
For Bahrain Victorious, the priority was clear: protect Eulalio’s lead in the young rider rankings and bring the white jersey through the final mountain stage.
Davide Piganzoli of Team Visma-Lease a Bike remained the closest threat, but Eulalio responded with another strong ride under pressure and kept control of the Maglia Bianca before the final day. He now leads Piganzoli by a minute and 13 seconds.
The stage was won by Piganzoli’s teammate Jonas Vingegaard, who attacked on the final climb and took a solo victory ahead of Felix Gall of Decathlon CMA CGM Team and Jai Hindley of Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe.
Behind, the general classification (GC) riders split again on the final ascent, but Eulalio limited his losses and defended his lead as best young rider.
After stage 20, Eulalio sits atop the Maglia Bianca standings and is also sixth overall on the GC.
Bahrain Victorious teammate Damiano Caruso also remained inside the top 10 in ninth, giving the team two riders amongst the GC’s leaderboard ahead of the last stage in Rome.
For Eulalio, the result comes at the end of a Giro in which he showed consistency across all three weeks.
After wearing the Maglia Rosa, or pink jersey, for overall leader earlier in the race, he continued to defend the young rider classification through the hardest mountain stages and has now all but secured the Maglia Bianca.
“Today was another hard day, with long climbs again in the final,” said Eulalio. “After yesterday’s stage, I was not feeling at my best mentally, because it had been such a hard day, but the team and all the staff did an amazing job. They motivated me, they believed in me, and in the end we kept fighting to bring home the Maglia Bianca.
“To finish this Giro with the white jersey, and with both me and Damiano in the top 10 overall, is something I will never forget. This Giro will stay in my head forever.”
Bahrain Victorious sports director Franco Pellizotti commented: “It was an amazing day for us. Stage 20 was difficult because Piganzoli was close, but Afonso did another amazing day.
“We arrive in Rome with this white jersey, and I’m very proud – not only about the jersey, but about the whole Giro.
“We had Alec’s stage victory, two riders in the top 10 on GC, nine days in the pink jersey, and now the white jersey. I would say it’s a dream, especially after the start we had, losing Santi (Buitrago) early in the race.
“Nobody knew what this Giro could become for us, but the guys worked a lot, and the commitment from everyone was incredible. I want to say thanks to all of them.”
This year’s Giro d’Italia is its 109th edition and it is part of the Union Cycliste Internationale World Tour 2026. It is the first of three grand tours this season – to be followed by the Tour de France in July and the Vuelta a Espana in August and September.
&uuid=(email))