DISCUSSION - Giro d'Italia stage 7 - Will it be a Visma vs Decathlon battle for the GC, or can Red Bull still get involved? How long can Eulálio hold on to Pink?

The first major mountain test of the Giro d'Italia delivered exactly what the race had been waiting for. After days of tension, positioning battles and cautious riding among the favourites, Jonas Vingegaard finally made his move on the slopes of Blockhaus, claiming both the stage victory and an early psychological advantage in the fight for the general classification.

The long 244 kilometres journey from Formia to Blockhaus had been marked in red long before the race began. With a brutal final ascent averaging 8.4% over 13.6 kilometres, the climb offered the first genuine opportunity for the contenders to expose weaknesses and test each other deep in the mountains.

As expected, the opening phase unfolded at a controlled rhythm. A breakaway formed early, with Jonathan Milan, Jardi van der Lee, Tim Naberman, Nickolas Zukowsky and Diego Pablo Sevilla allowed a comfortable gap by a peloton content to save energy ahead of the decisive finale.

The escapees never managed to build an overwhelming advantage, however. Their lead hovered around six minutes before the race gradually tightened on the approach to the mountains. On the Roccaraso climb, Jonathan Milan completed his work by collecting maximum points at the intermediate sprint before dropping away, strengthening his ambitions in the battle for the ciclamino jersey.

Behind, the pace steadily increased thanks to the work of Tim Rex and Timo Kielich, who drove the peloton for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Their mission was clear, deliver Jonas Vingegaard to the foot of Blockhaus in perfect position.

By the time the favourites reached the final climb, only three riders remained out front. Tim Naberman had already been distanced, while Nickolas Zukowsky sensed the moment to attack alone. Jardi van der Lee initially cracked but fought his way back across, the Dutchman producing one of the most resilient rides of the day as the pair continued together several kilometres into the ascent.

Their advantage disappeared rapidly once Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe took control behind. Davide Piganzoli lifted the pace sharply in the favourites’ group and the damage quickly became visible. Riders expected to challenge for the overall standings began to slide backwards one by one. Igor Arrieta and Jan Christen were among the first to lose contact, while Egan Bernal, Enric Mas and Derek Gee also struggled to follow the acceleration.

The pink jersey of Afonso Eulálio began to wobble with 5.5 kilometres remaining. The Portuguese rider fought to limit the damage but could no longer match the brutal tempo at the front as the leading group shrank to around ten riders. That was the moment Vingegaard chose to strike.

The Dane launched a fierce acceleration that immediately split the race apart. Felix Gall and Giulio Pellizzari initially responded, with Pellizzari especially looking comfortable on the wheel of the Visma leader. But the elastic snapped quickly. Within less than a kilometre both riders were dropped, leaving Jonas Vingegaard alone on the steep slopes of Blockhaus.

From there, the two-time Tour de France winner rode with complete authority. His advantage grew rapidly to more than thirty seconds over Felix Gall and Giulio Pellizzari, while the chasing group containing Ben O’Connor and Jai Hindley slipped to nearly a minute behind.

Felix Gall emerged as the strongest rider among the chasers. The Austrian limited his losses impressively and crossed the line just fifteen seconds behind Vingegaard after a measured and powerful ascent. Giulio Pellizzari, by contrast, faded in the final kilometres after his explosive start. The young Italian was eventually caught by Ben O’Connor and Jai Hindley before the summit.

Further back, Thymen Arensman salvaged a respectable result by finishing inside the top ten at 1:44. While the Dutchman managed to keep the losses manageable against riders such as O’Connor, Hindley and Pellizzari, the gap to Gall and especially Vingegaard already looks significant after the first summit finish.

For Afonso Eulálio, the day ended with mixed emotions. The Portuguese rider surrendered just under three minutes on Blockhaus but did enough to retain the Maglia Rosa for another day, a result that few would have predicted before the stage began.

The bigger message, however, belonged to Jonas Vingegaard. The Dane did not simply win on Blockhaus, he imposed himself on the race. After a week of patience, the leader of Team Visma | Lease a Bike finally showed his cards, and the rest of the Giro now knows exactly who they will have to beat in the mountains.

It was a brutal day on the bike, with a finale on the Blockhaus that delivered what many had expected, a victory for Jonas Vingegaard. It was the first true high mountain test of the race, it shook up the GC and put everyone in their place.

I have to admit I expected Giulio Pellizzari to win the stage, so I was a little surprised when he completely cracked after looking comfortable on the wheel of the Danish rider. On the other hand, I think Vingegaard probably delayed his attack because of the strong winds on the climb.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike did a fantastic job, both on the approach to the Blockhaus and with the work they did before their leader launched his move. Felix Gall also responded to the attack from Vingegaard, but unlike Pellizzari he did not try to stay directly on the Dane’s wheel. Instead, he rode an excellent climb and managed to recover some seconds afterwards.

If we compare the climbing times, the Visma leader was only 12 seconds faster than the Decathlon rider on the Blockhaus ascent, which says a lot about Gall’s performance.

As for Afonso Eulálio, he was very impressive on the climb, staying with the best riders until he eventually cracked and then limiting his losses thanks to the work of Damiano Caruso. He held on to the Pink Jersey for another day, and for him that is already a victory in itself.

It was also a reward for Bahrain Victorious, who spent almost the entire day at the front of the peloton controlling the race.

A nice day of racing, the anticipation was always going to be high into the first summit finish of the race, specially because the Blockhaus is simply a brutal climb. An incredibly long stage too, something the Giro does which sadly is now not seen at neither Tour de France and Vuelta a España, who opt to protect the sprinters instead. Here the distance and the mountains are combined; and the fatigue of a week with plenty rain and crashed aided in the damage that the final climb would do.

Firstly, I see Jonathan Milan's attack early in the day as a positive surprise. 12 points for the maglia ciclamino that cost him almost nothing; whilst Quick-Step neither had men in the breakaway, nor covering him, nor chasing him - nor fighting for the overall classification, even. In my eyes that is a complete waste of firepower, a team that is simply not focused on the details and in protecting their leader's jersey.

The stage was always going to be all about the final climb, where we see no surprises really. Visma set it up for Jonas Vingegaard, the Dane attacks and rides to victory solo. You could write that on a note back in January and it wouldn't be a hard guess.

Behind a few riders who pushed too close to the sun and got burned: Afonso Eulálio, whom I am proud of as a Portuguese fan, who confirmed his climbing ability against the big boys directly. It will be hard, but I believe there are some chances he can keep the pink jersey beyond the stage 10 time trial.

The other was Giulio Pellizzari, who showed he did have the legs, but was naive in following Vingegaard who clearly did not launch an explosive attack but instead rode at pace. The Italian followed him blindly, and then could not even follow Felix Gall. He and Jai Hindley finished together, meaning no hierarchy was established.

Gall is not a surprise, but it is a tremendous performance and one which fully shows his true quality as a pure climber. In the fight for second place, he definitely took the lead here.

Ben O'Connor surprised me, putting in his first real Grand Tour GC performance since 2024, meaning we could see the best of him once again over a three-week race; and Mathys Rondel's sixth place is also very notable - specially when you take into consideration he rode into a UAE car only 48 hours ago.

Jonas Vingegaard is now part of the exclusive club of riders who have won all three Grand Tours. The Dane entered it in spectacular fashion, with a stunning display on the slopes of the Blockhaus, a climb where Eddy Merckx himself once shone, while also breaking Nairo Quintana’s record on this brutal ascent.

The Visma rider is a pure climber, and he proved it by launching a devastating attack with more than five kilometres to go, riding away solo after destroying all of his rivals, especially Giulio Pellizzari, who overcooked his effort trying to hold the wheel of the already legendary Danish rider.

On a day battered by the almost permanent bad weather of the Italian spring, the riders endured temperatures of 9°C and strong winds. In those infernal conditions, Vingegaard annihilated every rival who tried to stand in his way. Afonso Eulálio remains in pink. For now.

From a Spanish-speaking perspective, neither Enric Mas nor Egan Bernal lived up to expectations. The Movistar Team rider was far worse off, unable to recover after cracking, crossing the line almost six minutes behind the Scandinavian. The Colombian, meanwhile, found a second wind that allowed him to finish just under three minutes behind the overwhelming favourite to lift the Trofeo Senza Fine in Rome.