Kuss wins Giro stage 19 to complete Grand Tour trilogy, Vingegaard retains lead

FELTRE, Italy, May 29 : Sepp Kuss and Dane Jonas Vingegaard of Team Visma–Lease a Bike dominated the high mountains on Friday as the American claimed a historic solo victory on stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia and his teammate firmly defended his overall lead.

By winning the brutal mountain stage, Kuss became the 116th rider in cycling history to complete the Grand Tour stage victory trilogy, adding the Italian success to previous wins at the Tour de France in 2021 and Vuelta a Espana in 2019 and 2023.

"To be honest, it's something I always dreamt of, but every year it's getting harder and harder. I keep progressing, but so does everyone else, so every year that goes by, I think it's going to be even harder to win a stage in the Giro to complete all three, but I just can't believe it," Kuss said after the race.

The monstrous 151-km stage through the Dolomites packed a brutal 5,000 metres of altitude gain into a relentless rollercoaster of high-altitude climbs and technical descents, before finishing in the Veneto village of Alleghe.

Italian Lidl-Trek rider Giulio Ciccone seized his chance on the final long descent, breaking free from the chasing group to establish a one-minute lead with 10-km remaining.

However, Kuss launched a relentless pursuit as soon as the final uphill climb commenced, catching and passing Ciccone with just over two km left before riding clear.

Kuss crossed the finish line alone ahead of thousands of cheering fans to secure the victory 13 seconds ahead of Canadian Derek Gee-West of Lidl-Trek. Ciccone held off the rest of the chasing pack to take third place, 36 seconds behind Kuss.

"By the bottom of the climb, there was a gap of one minute, so I thought, 'Oh, it's over'," Kuss said of Ciccone's push. "To be