“I had to wait a long time" - Andrea Vendrame ends barren run with emphatic breakaway victory on stage 19 of 2024 Giro d'Italia
CyclingFriday, 24 May 2024 at 18:27
Although the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team has been incredibly successful in the early part of the 2024 season, one of those riders still waiting for a triumph was Andrea Vendrame. On stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia, the Italian finally got a win for himself.
“Today it was of course crucial to get into the early breakaway," reflected the 29-year-old in his post-stage interview. Just getting into the break however, wasn't a guarantee of victory, especially since the quality of riders alongside him. "Ultimately we succeeded and we had a leading group with many different types of riders. It was a strong group, including Julian Alaphilippe. He has tried many times today."
With the fight still very much going on within the best of the break towards the final 30 kilometres, Vendrame opted not to wait for the final climb to make his move and instead launched on the prior descent. Despite him initially being kept in check, as the chase stalled, Vendrame was able to gain a lead of over a minute that eventually proved to be decisive.
“I wanted to get some lead for that final climb. Offence is the best defence. I chose my own pace on the climb and was able to maintain it well," concludes the 29-year-old Italian. "The fact that I ultimately win is very special. I'm feeling a lot of emotions right now. I had to wait a long time as I could not win in previous years. and that has caused frustration. Now I hope I can maintain this level.”
2024 Giro d'Italia Stage 19
| 1 | VENDRAME Andrea | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | 180 | 03:51:05 |
| 2 | SANCHEZ Pelayo | Movistar Team | 130 | + 54 |
| 3 | STEINHAUSER Georg | EF Education-EasyPost | 95 | + 01:07 |
| 4 | NARVAEZ Jhonnatan | INEOS Grenadiers | 80 | + 02:27 |
| 5 | PLAPP Lucas | Team Jayco-AlUla | 60 | + 02:27 |
| 6 | VELASCO Simone | Astana Qazaqstan Team | 45 | + 02:30 |
| 7 | TRATNIK Jan | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 40 | + 02:30 |
| 8 | VALGREN Michael | EF Education-EasyPost | 35 | + 02:30 |
| 9 | ALAPHILIPPE Julian | Soudal Quick-Step | 30 | + 02:32 |
| 10 | HERMANS Quinten | Alpecin-Deceuninck | 25 | + 03:52 |
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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An emotional Andrea Vendrame celebrates his victory 🙌💖 The Italian rider soloes to a tough stage win at his home Grand Tour for the second time in his career ✌️🇮🇹
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