Denmark’s Michael Valgren powered clear late on to clinch his first Grand Tour stage at the Giro d’Italia, four years after a career-threatening injury.
“That’s for my son,” Valgren said as he collapsed to the floor at the finish line of stage 17, holding up a green model his son had built for him as a lucky charm.
The EF Education-EasyPost rider has had a long journey back from a near career-ending crash in 2022 – in which he fractured his pelvis, and ruptured two ligaments and the meniscus in his knee – to the top end of competitive cycling.
Valgren, 34, was always in the mix throughout Thursday’s 202km route to Andalo in the Italian Dolomites, finally launching a surprise attack just over 1km from the finish line after a long breakaway.
At the foot of the final climb to the line, Colombia’s Einer Rubio and Valgren led the race, with Damiano Caruso, stage five winner Igor Arrieta of Spain, Aleksandr Vlasov and Norway’s Andreas Leknessund tailing.
But when Valgren – a 12-time Grand Tour veteran – launched his victory bid he could not be reeled in, finishing three seconds clear of Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) with Caruso (Bahrain-Victorious) third – a further three seconds back.
Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) comfortably retained the leader’s pink jersey after finishing within the peloton.
Austria’s Felix Gall (Decathlon-CMA CGM) is second overall – four minutes and three seconds behind Vingegaard – with the Netherlands’ Thymen Arensman in third a further 24 seconds back.
Valgren told TNT Sports: “Last year I had high hopes for a good result in this year’s competition so my son built me a Pokemon in team colours. It is my lucky charm.
“It was really hard, I was really at my limit. I’m lucky it wasn’t 5km longer.
“I missed this on my resume – my career has been pretty good but I needed this Grand Tour stage win. I’m really happy.”
