"Without a motorbike in front of us, we couldn't see anything": Johannes Kulset emerges from foggy Giro stage with a GC comeback
Cycling
The fifth stage of 2026 Giro d'Italia was a nasty surprise from the ancient Roman gods who have been pouring buckets of water on all competitors throughout the entire day. Ultimately, a strong breakaway was let go by the peloton as GC favourites agreed to a ceasefire on Wednesday. And while the peloton rolled towards the finish line in a rather leisurely pace, Johannes Kulset had other plans for the final hour of today's stage.
Alongside Koen Bouwman (Jayco AlUla) and Andrea Raccagni Noviero (Soudal - Quick-Step), the Uno-X Mobility rider attacked away from the main bunch following the day's decisive ascent with 48 kilometers left to go.
And since neither of them was perceived as a threat to general classification, they were allowed to ride towards the breakaway... even though they ultimately never made the bridge and ended up racing for a seventh place.
"We put in a lot of effort to get into the breakaway early on because on days like this, it can go all the way. I wasn't able to get in, so I wanted to try something at the end, and I think we did it perfectly," Kulset said afterwards.
Back in the GC game thanks to a daring move
Despite the rain and hail, the Norwegian insisted on gaining time on the other favorites, ignoring calls from some riders to neutralize the race:
"I think some riders wanted to neutralize the race at the summit because of the weather, but I don't think stopping at the top would have helped. Visibility was really bad on the descent, and without a motorbike in front of us, we couldn't see anything, but I'm really happy that we rode faster than the guys behind."
And just like that, Kulset's situation in GC, which looked rather bleak before stage 5 with a 3-minute margin to main group of favourites, has turned around completely. The young Norwegian now sits 5th overall, five minutes off new maglia rosa Afonso Eulálio, but a minute ahead of the GC favourites.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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