"We all worked so hard for this": Michael Valgren in a loss of words after his first victory in five years

Michael Valgren's victory on stage 5 of Tirreno-Adriatico 2026 is far more than a routine stage win. The Dane from EF Education-EasyPost celebrates a major success after a long spell marked by injuries and doubts about his future in the professional peloton.

His career was in serious jeopardy after a heavy crash at the Route d’Occitanie in 2022. The aftereffects were so severe that for months there were questions over whether he could ever race at the highest level again. Initially, the plan was to return in 2023 with EF’s development team, but the 34-year-old ultimately made a full comeback to the WorldTour bunch already towards the end of that season.

The win on Friday came from an early break on one of the Italian race's hillier days. Valgren, already a past winner of the Amstel Gold Race and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (both in 2018), held on to the line despite sustained pressure from the GC favourites' group.

As soon as he crossed the line, the Dane could not hide his emotion: "This is incredible! We all worked so hard for this. I've had a good winter with my family. They, along with the team, have supported me so much. I became a father again last month (Valgren already had two children). This is for them and for the team. I simply have no words."

The decisive move also included Julian Alaphilippe, who shared the workload with the Dane for much of the day before fading in the final kilometres.

"The opening phase was really hard with all the attacks. Eventually, I managed to bridge and we worked well together. I felt good all day. That’s why I wanted to go early."

Valgren also underlined the strong collaboration with the Frenchman in the break.

"Julian broke away with me," he continued. "Our cooperation was good as well. All in all, it was a very hard day. I had incredible legs and a bit of luck," he concluded the brief interview.