Decathlon's top talent edges Visma's British rising star and Lorenzo Finn at Giro Next Gen stage 7
CyclingSaturday, 20 June 2026 at 15:28
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Follow us on GoogleStage seven of the Giro Next Gen has been won by Aubin Sparfel. The Frenchman from Decathlon CMA CGM had broken clear in the finale with a strong group of outsiders, beating Elliot Rowe (Visma | Lease a Bike) to the win. Pink jersey holder Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) came very close, but fell just short, finishing third.
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It took six days for the favourite-on-paper to finally leave his mark on the Giro Next Gen. World champion Lorenzo Finn struck mercilessly hard in stage six and took over the pink jersey from Matisse Van Kerckhove. In the overall standings, the Italian from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe held a healthy lead, and on Saturday he was able to extend it further.
Stage seven was once again gruelling. 3,200 metres of climbing over 135 kilometres, with a passage over the Passo Lanciano and an uphill finish at Piana delle Mele. It promised to be a fantastic battle. Any rivals harbouring ambitious plans might well have been able to put them into action relatively early in the race.
A strong breakaway of seven riders went clear early in the day, later gaining company. But four of them then rode away from their fellow escapees: Niels Driessen (Lotto-Groupe Wanty), Gauthier Servranckx (Soudal Quick-Step), Matteo Scalco and Pierre-Henry Basset (both XDS Astana). It quickly became clear, however, that this wouldn't be a day for the early breakaway.
Read more below the photo!
Could the tough Lanciano cause a split?
That quartet hit the Passo Lanciano after 80 tough kilometres, with the gap down to just a minute and a half. That was enough for Rémi Daumas to make the jump. The young Frenchman from Groupama-FDJ leapt away, caught and passed the breakaway, and pressed on solo. The expected fireworks on the Lanciano never quite materialised: Daumas crested first, ahead of a still-sizeable peloton.
In that peloton, things heated up on the descent, with a strong group moving to the front. Scalco was involved once again, but this time joined by Ibai Villate (Movistar), Elliot Rowe (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Aubin Sparfel (Decathlon CMA CGM). The latter two were within three minutes of pink. That gave us five riders out front.
After an intermediate sprint, Rowe, Sparfel and Scalco rode clear. In the peloton — or rather, the group of favourites — it was up to Soudal Quick-Step to chase, since Finn had little support, and Henrique Bravo (third overall) saw the danger. For Finn himself it wasn't dangerous, as he kept the trio firmly in his sights. The leaders, meanwhile, saw their chances growing.
Read more below the video!
Visma versus Decathlon — or would Finn do the double?
On the final climb, their lead was thirty seconds. A counter-move from Kevin Biehl (General Store-Essegibi) and Alessandro Cattani (Technipes) followed, but had they left it too late? The final climb wasn't especially hard, and the leaders showed no signs of weakness. That's when Sparfel attacked: Scalco, at the front all day, had nothing left to give. Rowe tried to close the gap at his own pace.
The Brit did so with real conviction. He didn't let himself be rattled by the explosive Frenchman and kept him within reach. Behind them, the battle for the overall classification had begun: Bravo accelerated, taking Finn, Mateo Ramírez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Rémi Arsac (Decathlon CMA CGM) with him. That quartet suddenly came storming back into the finale.
But they spent too much time watching each other. As a result, Rowe and Sparfel looked to be out of reach of the chasers. Then Ramírez launched a move of his own, which prompted a counter-attack from pink jersey holder Finn. He surged forward in big strides, but fell just short: the fast-finishing Sparfel rode Rowe off his wheel and stayed just out of Finn's reach.
Giro Next Gen 2026 stage 7 results
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Slightly sceptical: if he’d positioned better before the flamme rouge, he’s on the podium. Saying “wouldn’t have changed the win” sounds a bit like hedging. Still, signs are promising for the rest of Suisse and towards the Tour.robert6520-06-2026
- - Feels like classic post-camp legs for Mathieu—dead the first couple days, then suddenly lively. He chose not to force the break when teams marked him, which was smart. World’s best puncheur doesn’t need to waste matches on a doomed move.jennifer1920-06-2026
- - New fan here: what does “boxed in” mean in a sprint? Is that like other riders blocking your line so you can’t accelerate?davidm20-06-2026
- - Not sure the piece gives enough credit to Narváez’s engine. UAE Emirates-XRG? Think he’s actually Ineos these days. Either way, that late move was class, and Cort’s sprint for third was textbook draft timing.breakawaybikerd20-06-2026
- - Great to see MvdP trending upward. Fifth after getting boxed in isn’t bad, especially with Narváez and Meurisse up the road. Heat clearly affected him early, but once it cooled he looked far more comfy on those opening climbs.patriciaw20-06-2026
- - Grande Narváez! Orgullo latino en Suiza, tremendo bajo la lluvia y rayos. Vamos!robert6519-06-2026
- - Cort for third from the bunch after all that chaos is tidy. Van den Berg and MvdP right there too—sprinters hanging on a nasty day.pedalpowe2919-06-2026
- - TV signal dying with5k to go… classic Suisse storms. At least the ticker didn’t botch the result. Still, would’ve loved to see the head-to-head sprint line.julien19-06-2026
- - Meurisse deserves props. Q5 don’t often get this kind of spotlight and he paced it perfectly, just got outkicked by a punchier finisher. Fair play.andrewf19-06-2026
- - Slightly confused by the team names here—UAE Emirates-XRG? Is that a rebrand or a typo? Also INEOS listed as Netcompany INEOS? Article could use a quick fact check tbh.davidm19-06-2026
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