Jasper Schoofs of Soudal Quick-Step holds of peloton to win Giro Next Gen stage 3 and pink jersey
CyclingTuesday, 16 June 2026 at 17:22
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Follow us on GoogleJasper Schoofs has won stage three of the Giro Next Gen. The Belgian rider from the Soudal Quick-Step development team won the sprint among his fellow breakaway riders after a day out front. The peloton came agonisingly close in an exciting finale, but left it too late to contest the win. Schoofs is also the new pink jersey holder in the U23 version of the Giro d'Italia.
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After an immediately demanding mountain stage on day one and a bunch sprint on stage two, the peloton in Italy was served up another tough day. Over the course of 166 kilometres, the young talents in this 'Baby Giro' had to take on more than 3,000 metres of climbing, with a finish immediately after a descent.
The climbing began right from the start. The first serious ascent, however, only came after around thirty kilometres — the Valico di Campotenese (9km at 5%). After that, flat kilometres were simply off the menu: if the road wasn't heading downhill, the riders were climbing.
A strong breakaway group duly formed. It included two Belgian riders: Matteo Vanhuffel (Picnic-PostNL development team) and Jasper Schoofs (Soudal Quick-Step development team). The two Flemish riders were joined by Simone Zanini (XDS Astana Development) and Diego Casagrande (Tudor U23). The quartet built a maximum lead of around three minutes.
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A thinned-out peloton closes in, break plays poker
The race finale exploded on the final climb, the Viggiano (5.4km at 5.5%). After a six-kilometre descent, just a flat seven kilometres remained to the finish in Villa d'Agri di Marsicovetere. With 2.5 kilometres still to go to the summit, the pace was too high for pink jersey holder Davide Donati (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe Rookies). A new race leader was on the way.
At the same time, the breakaway was still fighting out front, with a thinned-out peloton of around thirty riders sitting just under a minute behind. Much of that gap was not eaten into, keeping the escapees' chances very much alive. With ten kilometres to go, the lead of the breakaway group — now without the dropped Casagrande — was still thirty seconds.
In the final kilometres, the breakaway had the luxury of being able to play a bit of poker. Schoofs went into his sprint in an excellent position and rewarded a strong day's racing with victory. In the background, Daan Dijkman from the UAE development team came dangerously close to a podium finish, but his very powerful sprint was only enough for fourth place.
Results of Stage 3 of the 2026 Giro NextGen
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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Latest Comments
- - Interesting that he skipped the MTB races due to the back niggle and doubled down on Tour prep instead. If the back holds, that road-to-MTB switch after the Tour could be spicy—Val di Sole suits a punchy rider like him. Also love the confidence echoing last year’s build. One punchy Suisse stage win would be the perfect signal.tourdeforce916-06-2026
- - Great to see MVDP back after a proper reset. The spring was brutal on luck—Roubaix mechanicals and that Sanremo crash—but the legs were clearly there. Tour de Suisse feels like a smart, lower-stress way to sharpen before the Tour. Curious to see how he balances going for a stage with keeping something in the tank for July.velodromevirtuoso116-06-2026
- Love Storer’s perspective on applauding this generation. The bar is so high that seventh at the Giro is a massive ride. Whether he makes Tudor’s Tour roster or not, he’s earned respect—and his Vingegaard pick just made July even more intriguing.bikebuffj16-06-2026
- The short turnaround from Giro to Tour is such a delicate balance. If Vinge really is better in his second GT of the year, and he came out of the Giro “clean,” Pog is going to need every bit of that UAE depth to pressure him in the mountains and on transition stages.raceready716-06-2026
- Fascinating insight from Storer. If someone who rode shoulder to shoulder at the Giro says Vingegaard can beat Pogacar, that carries weight. Also agree with him on the “not aggressive” criticism—when you can gap riders while seated, there’s no need for fireworks.patriciaw16-06-2026
- Daan Dijkman’s kick was wild—coming from the group to nearly nick the podium after that descent and flat run-in says a lot about his top-end speed. One to watch for the next sprintable stage.jennifer1916-06-2026
- Vanhuffel deserves a shout too. Two Belgians in the move all day, and they kept it smooth even with the peloton dangling under a minute. Savvy racing from the youngsters.raceready716-06-2026
- That finale was edge-of-seat stuff. Peloton playing catch-up a bit too late, and the break had just enough rope. Classic example of hesitation costing the bunch a chance to organize a proper lead-out.lindae16-06-2026
- Feel for Donati—losing pink on the final climb after two brutal opening stages shows how unforgiving the Baby Giro is. Curious to see how he responds on the next mountain day.pedalpowe2916-06-2026
- What a ride from Schoofs! Managing the break and then nailing the downhill-finish sprint after 3,000+ meters of climbing is seriously impressive. Soudal’s dev pipeline looks stacked.gearguru3316-06-2026
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