05/27/26 12:18:00
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05/27 12:16 CDT Vingegaard keeps overall lead as Valgren wins Giro stage and
celebrates with son's lucky charm
Vingegaard keeps overall lead as Valgren wins Giro stage and celebrates with
son's lucky charm
ANDALO, Italy (AP) --- A few meters from the finish line, Michael Valgren
pulled his son's lucky charm from his back pocket and raised it high as he
cruised to victory in the 17th stage of the Giro d'Italia for the best win of
his career on Wednesday.
Jonas Vingegaard, meanwhile, finished safely with the peloton to protect his
overall lead at the Grand Tour race.
Valgren explained his celebration by saying his son had given him a Pokmon
chip in the team colors.
It was the first Giro win --- and first Grand Tour win --- for the 34-year-old
Danish rider, who broke away from the leading group with about 1 kilometer (0.6
mile) to go in a perfectly timed run.
"This was missing from my resume. I think I deserved this," Valgren said. "I
think I've always said it to someone in the media: My career has been pretty
good, but I needed this Grand Tour stage win."
It was an uneventful stage for Vingegaard, who maintain his overall lead of
more than four minutes.
Wednesday's stage took riders back to Italy in a 202-kilometer (126-mile) route
from Cassano d'Adda to Andalo. The 16th stage won by Vingegaard on Tuesday
crossed the border into Switzerland.
In Thursday's 18th stage, riders will stay in Italy to face an undulating route
from start to finish.
The Giro ends on Sunday in Rome. The women's Giro is from May 30 to June 7.
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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling
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