Miracle in Milan: sprint teams misjudge the breakaway, Norwegian Dversnes wins
CyclingSunday, 24 May 2026 at 17:21
Fredrik Dversnes Lavik has won the fifteenth stage of the Giro d'Italia. The Norwegian from Uno-X Mobility managed to stay clear of the peloton alongside three other early attackers. The sprint teams badly misjudged the danger posed by the breakaway, and Dversnes won the sprint ahead of Mirco Maestri (Polti VisitMalta) and Martin Marcellusi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber).
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Sunday would normally offer one of the final sprint opportunities of this Giro. Riders like Jonathan Milan, Paul Magnier and Dylan Groenewegen will have had this day circled in the calendar for months. Stage 15 is the flattest stage of the entire race in terms of elevation gain.
Much would depend, however, on how fresh the sprinters were. After a brutal mountain stage on Saturday, fatigue was always going to take its toll on some of them. Could Unibet Rose Rockets use Groenewegen to make up for their bad luck in Naples, or would we see another duel between Milan and Magnier?
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It was warm again at the start in Voghera. Given the profile, you might have expected little appetite for a breakaway — but the opening phase was surprisingly chaotic. The Bardiani and Polti VisitMalta riders were especially active, forcing Soudal Quick-Step to repeatedly police the situation to prevent four riders from a single team getting away.
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Narváez and Magnier sprint for the purple jersey
When four riders did eventually escape, they were given room to go. Mattia Bais and Mirco Maestri of Polti VisitMalta were in the move, joined by Martin Marcellusi of Bardiani CSF 7 Saber and Fredrik Dversnes Lavik of Uno-X Mobility. The peloton judged there was little threat in the group and let them go.
The stage then played out like a typical sprint stage, with the leaders building up a few minutes on the bunch. They contested the points at the intermediate sprint, but back in the peloton the battle for the last remaining point also heated up. UAE Team Emirates-XRG set up a full sprint train for points jersey holder Jhonatan Narváez, but he was outsprinted neatly by Paul Magnier — bringing the Frenchman back level with his rival in the standings.
Once in Milan, the rest of the race looked like a textbook sprint stage. Enric Mas was briefly caught up in a minor crash, but otherwise little of note happened. It did, however, cause concern for race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), who went to speak with the jury vehicle about the barriers along the course: "I nearly went down," he cried. Giulio Ciccone also lodged a complaint with the officials.
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The jury opts for a strict neutralisation
This prompted the jury to act, and they chose to adjust the rules. GC times would be taken at the penultimate pass through the finish line, with 16 kilometres still to race. Riders not fighting for the stage win could then ride in at their own pace — which will surely have satisfied Vingegaard and company.
The pace was high: with 30 kilometres to go, the average speed sat at 50 kilometres per hour. The leaders held on remarkably well: at that point the gap was still one and a half minutes. They were not being reeled in quickly by the peloton, where Unibet Rose Rockets and Soudal Quick-Step were setting the tempo — but help was thin on the ground. Was it going too slowly?
More riders were quickly pushed to the front. The Rockets burned through Niklas Larsen and Tomas Kopecky, while Lukas Kubis had also been seen on the front early. At Lidl-Trek, Tim Torn Teutenberg and Max Walscheid also lent a hand. The four leaders were slowly being reeled in, but it was a laboured effort.
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The breakaway drives the sprint teams mad
In the final lap, things turned desperately awkward. Walscheid also pulled off, leaving Kubis and Fabio Van den Bossche (Soudal Quick-Step) as just two riders fighting against four leaders. The peloton simply wasn't closing the gap. With ten kilometres to go, the difference was still 45 seconds. When even GC rider Derek Gee-West offered to help, the message was clear: all hands on deck.
It went right to the wire. Van den Bossche couldn't go on, and the task fell to the Rockets. They had to dig in early. Even Elmar Reinders was forced onto the front. Gradually the peloton drew closer — but then it was over: virtually every domestique had been burned. Alpecin-Premier Tech took over, but there was no one else left to help.
And so the breakaway riders clawed back time again. With three kilometres to go the gap was 25 seconds — was it enough? Maestri, Bais, Marcellusi and Dversnes fought like lions. Jasper Stuyven put in one serious effort, but after that it went quiet again. The break was going to make it: Bais rode himself empty, before Dversnes launched his sprint. He proved the fastest, just ahead of Maestri and Marcellusi.
Stage 15 Giro d'Italia 2026 — Result
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Latest Comments
- The only cyclist who can beat Tadej is Tadej.
Brucegel09-05-2026 - Enough of this b.s. already.Just tell the world all you suspicious people what would satisfy you that he is not doping.live real time urinating and testing?.Live real time blood draws 5 seconds after a race is over?.Fecal analysis.WTF will satisfy you?Brucegel03-05-2026
- This suspicion could be laid to rest by what? What would make all doubters happy that Pogi is clean? Just tell the world all you Frenchmen et al what you want as protocol.You will never be satisfied.That is your level of mindless groundless suspicions.Brucegel03-05-2026
- Here is a novel idea......it's a road bike race, stick to smooth asphalt courses! Cobble is like mild off-road cross riding!!!!Germanrazor14-04-2026
- To lose a race like that on a mechanical problem in this day and age is unforgivable. Why aren't all riders using the same (interchangeable) gear? It is the job of the team manager to manage and reduce risk variables. The fact that he not only didn't pick up on the potential issue but actually ok'd it is just madness.fatehasfans13-04-2026
- Rider X, y and z? Could you update?yaNzKEWL21-03-2026
- Can anyone help me understand the thinking behind the two punishments? Are the commissaires saying you get thrown out of the race for a second inadvertent disposal of a bidon (even to the delight of fans) but that as long as you can afford it you can show off your phalangeal cuticles all day long on international TV? Aking for a friend.packfiller7112-03-2026
- It's a bit embarrassing that. Isn't the main sponsor supposed to keep them at 36.5 ?tomjacques03-03-2026
- They were close to cracking a very tired Tadej that wasn't fully focused on the TdF with a team of riders focused solely on cracking Tadej. And if they cracked him, he would have still won. Tadej won't be racing the giro this year. It'll be an even easier win for him.Veganpotter09-02-2026
- Nice!Bea22-01-2026
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