Colombian cyclist Egan Bernal climbed to spot 10 in the overall standings of the Giro d’Italia today after stage 16. The high mountain stage, which covered 113 kilometers (70.21 miles) between Bellinzona and the Swiss alpine resort of Cari, saw overall leader Jonas Vingegaard take a solo victory. The Danish rider from Team Visma Lease a Bike consolidated his hold on the pink jersey after launching a decisive attack 6 kilometers (3.72 miles) from the finish line, leaving Austrian Felix Gall in second place and Dutchman Thymen Arensman in third.
Bernal takes on a controlling role and breaks into the top 10
After leader Vingegaard launched his devastating attack, Bernal, of the British team Netcompany INEOS, took control of the chase group on the first-category climbs in Cari to support his teammate, Arensman. The Colombian’s sustained pedaling broke up the group of favorites, wore down direct rivals, and capitalized on Portugal’s Afonso Eulalio falling behind.
Race officials recorded Bernal’s seventh-place finish in the stage, crossing the finish line 2 minutes and 4 seconds behind Vingegaard. This consistent performance earned the cyclist from Zipaquira the time needed to move into 10th place in the overall general classification.
Rubio stands out in the breakaway and defends his position
Colombian rider Einer Rubio attacked early in the stage to establish a breakaway that included riders such as Italian Giulio Ciccone and Australian Chris Harper. The Movistar Team climber held his position at the front during the ascents of the Torre and Leontica passes, contesting the mountain points against the leading climbers.
The pace set by the Visma team reduced the gap on the uphill sections and caught Rubio with 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) remaining. Despite the physical exertion of the breakaway, the Colombian rider conserved his energy in the final meters to cross the finish line.
Vingegaard extends lead, and the secondary rankings shift
Jonas Vingegaard extended his lead at the top of the general classification to more than four minutes after securing his fourth stage win in this year’s Giro d’Italia. Behind the leader, Arensman, who finished fourth in the stage, capitalized on the time lost by his rivals to provisionally move into third place overall.
The supplementary classifications reflected the impact of the Alpine stage. Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narvaez closed the gap on leader Paul Magnier in the points classification after gaining points in the intermediate sprints while in the breakaway. In the young rider classification, Eulalio lost ground to Davide Piganzoli on the final climb, although he retains the white jersey.
The brand new #GirodItalia GC sees @ThymenArensman move into third overall, with @Eganbernal now in 10th place 👏👏👏 https://t.co/Fqe1oSI3dX
— Netcompany INEOS (@NetcompanyINEOS) May 26, 2026
General ranking (Top 10)
- Jonas Vingegaard (DEN – Team Visma Lease a Bike) 62h 10m 26s
- Felix Gall (AUT – Decathlon CMA CGM Team) at 4:03
- Thymen Arensman (NED – Netcompany INEOS) at 4:27
- Jai Hindley (AUS – Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe) at 5:00
- Afonso Eulalio (POR – Bahrain – Victorious) at 5:40
- Derek Gee (CAN – Lidl – Trek) at 7:09
- Michael Storer (AUS – Tudor Pro Cycling Team) at 7:14
- Davide Piganzoli (ITA – Team Visma Lease a Bike) at 7:57
- Ben O’Connor (AUS – Decathlon CMA CGM Team) at 9:20
- Egan Bernal (COL – Netcompany INEOS) at 9:44
29. Einer Rubio (COL – Movistar Team) at 14:22.