After 12 Grand Tours of trying and a career full of ups and downs, Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost) finally took his maiden stage win at one of cycling’s prestigious three-week races, winning stage 17 of the Giro d’Italia from a breathless 202km breakaway battle.
Valgren emerged as the strongest from a 29-rider move that went in the opening half of racing from Cassano d’Adda to Andalo, but he was made to work hard for it by the likes of Einer Rubio (Movistar) and Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), who attacked several times in the final 45km.
Six riders ended up fighting out the stage win after the break split and came back together several times in the last 20km, but it was the late surge Valgren made 1100 metres from the line that broke the deadlock, earning him a special win ahead of Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) and Caruso.
Coming onto the final climb to Andalo-Lever, Valgren was pushed to his limit by the stronger climber, Rubio, with whom he entered the finale in a duo, but as they were caught by first Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and the rest of the chasers, it was the Dane who still had the tactical nous to make the perfectly-timed move.
As a former winner of massive races such as Amstel Gold and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Valgren is no stranger to the biggest successes, but after a near-career-ending crash in 2022, he only returned to winning ways for the first time since 2021 at Tirreno-Adriatico, earlier this season in March.
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