2026 Giro d'Italia stage 20 preview - One final opportunity to have an impact on the general classification top placings as Jonas Vingegaard set to win maglia rosa atop Piancavallo
Stage 20 - May 30, 2026: Gemona del Friuli 1976-2026 - Piancavallo, 200 km
The peloton will undoubtedly be relieved to have reached the near-end of this Giro d'Italia, the overall contenders will have one final opportunity to have an impact on the race for a top placing in the overall standings, and likewise, the strong climbers will undoubtedly take aim at a prestigious stage win at the summit of punishingly steep Piancavallo.
There will be very little anyone can do to close the nearly insurmountable gap to Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), who has had a tight grip on the race lead since he won stage 14 atop Pila and first pulled on the maglia rosa. Barring accidents or illness, the Dane will almost certainly seal the overall victory in this edition of the Giro d'Italia.
The penultimate stage 20 pays tribute to the devastating 1976 earthquake that struck Friuli Venezia Giulia. It's a four-star 200km parcours starting in Gemona del Friuli, travelling through flatter valley roads, the peloton takes on the Clauzetto climb mid-stage, a 6.9km climb with an average gradient of 5.7%, before heading toward the Val Cosa for the start of a 53km closing circuit with the double ascent of Piancavallo.
The late Marco Pantani famously won atop Piancavallo on his way to capturing the overall title at the 1998 Giro d'Italia. Mikkel Landa also won the ascent in 2017, and Tao Geoghegan Hart secured a solo win on it on his way to winning the overall title in 2020.
Vingegaard may have the magila rosa wrapped up, but the race for the podium is still alive and well, and so we could see more shake-ups on this penultimate stage before the race officially ends in Rome on Sunday.
Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) looks to have sewn up his second place overall at 4:03 behind Vingegaard, but behind him, the race for third heated up on the previous day's stage 19 to Alleghe, which saw Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) enter a winning breakaway then overtake Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos) for third place in the GC.
Visma-Lease a Bike did not let the breakaway gain more than two or three minutes because several GC riders were in that group.
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek), who was also in the winning breakaway, finished second to stage 19 winner Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike), but also moved up one place to fifth overall.
Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain-Victorious) slipped one spot, but he is still hanging on to a top-five place at this Grand Tour, ahead of Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling), Davide Piganzoli (Visma-Lease a Bike), Damiano Caruso (Bahrain-Victorious), Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla), Egan Bernal (Netcompany Ineos) and Mathys Rondel (Tudor Pro Cycling).
Visma-Lease-a-Bike appear to be willing to let a gap to a breakaway open up as long as it is close to the GC times and so better able to control.
"I don't know if it is a battle. If you look at the gaps, it is more than four minutes. I wouldn't call that a battle, but it's nice to be this strong in the Giro," Gall said.
"It's going to be a big day on Saturday. The fight for the podium is still on. I wouldn't call it a fight with Jonas becuse he is on a different level."
Piancavallo
The climb itself is a 14.4km climb that rises at 8.9% and, with pitches as steep as 14% - featured twice on stage 20.
The riders will crest the ascent for the first time with 50km to go, then follow a technical descent towards Lago di Barcis that includes a well-lit tunnel over more than 4km, but otherwise held along well-surfaced roads bringing the field back into Aviano for the final climb.
The first 10km of the climb are unrelenting before a brief reprieve gives way to 8% gradients that persist across the final 4.5km and a technical last kilometre before crossing the finish line.
It will be a challenging final mountain stage with a total of 3,750 metres of elevation gain, and where Vingegaard will all but seal the overall victory before the ride into Rome on Sunday.
Mountains
- Clauzetto (cat. 3, 6.9km at 5.7%, max. 9%), km. 85.8
- Piancavallo (cat. 1, 14.5km at 7.8%, max. 14%), km. 147.3
- Piancavallo (cat. 1, 14.5km at 7.8%, max. 14%), km. 200
Sprints
- Red Bull kilometre: km. 175.3 - 176.3
- Sprint: Forgaria nel Friuli , km. 73.6
Lyne has been involved in professional cycling for more than 15 years in both news reporting and sports marketing. She founded Podium Insight in 2008, quickly becoming a trusted source for news of the North American professional cycling world. She was the first to successfully use social media to consistently provide timely and live race updates for all fans. She is proud to have covered men's and women's news equally during her tenure at the helm of the site. Her writing has appeared on Cyclingnews and other news sites.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
