Michael Valgren roared in delight as he crossed the finish line in Andalo, holding his son's Pokémon chip aloft, after winning the 17th stage of the Giro d'Italia. The Danish rider timed his attack perfectly, powering away from a small group with one kilometre remaining on the undulating 202km route from Cassano d'Adda. Riders endured punishing heat and sudden downpours throughout the stage.
First Grand Tour stage victory
The 34-year-old EF Education-EasyPost rider secured his second win of the season, following his triumph at Tirreno-Adriatico earlier this year. However, Wednesday's effort marked his first stage victory in a Grand Tour. Valgren explained that his son had given him the lucky charm—a Pokémon chip featuring his team's colours—to carry during the stage.
Valgren was part of a large group that broke away from the peloton on the final categorised Andalo-Lever climb. Initially, he appeared to be contesting the stage honours with Einer Rubio before the pair were caught. Reflecting on his victory, Valgren said: "When I have good legs I'm pretty good at it. This was missing from my résumé. I think I deserved this. My career has been pretty good, but I needed this Grand Tour stage win."
Vingegaard maintains overall lead
Meanwhile, compatriot Jonas Vingegaard continued his march towards a first overall Grand Tour victory. The Danish rider, wearing the pink jersey, enjoyed a relatively serene day with the peloton, retaining control of the general classification. He holds a four-minute lead over Felix Gall after rolling home with the main group.
In other action, Jhonatan Narváez won the intermediate sprint and took the points jersey from France's Paul Magnier, who was not part of the break and now trails the UAE rider by 10 points.
Looking ahead, Vingegaard is likely to maintain his advantage on Thursday during the hilly 171km stage from Fai della Paganella to Pieve di Soligo.
