Netcompany INEOS’s Kevin Vauquelin hoovers up all the prizes at the 2026 Giro d'Abruzzo

The day began with a breakaway group of five riders. Andrii Ponomar, Joshua Golliker, Lorenzo Ginestra, Ben Morin, and Andrea Pietrobon built a lead of more than four minutes, but with the tough local circuit around Controguerra looming, the peloton quickly began to close the gap.

The double climb up the Colonnella, in particular—with sections exceeding 10 percent in the final stretch—promised to be a thrilling spectacle. By the time we began the first categorized climb at the 139-kilometer mark, the breakaway group was already not too far ahead.

With just over 40 kilometers to go, the early breakaway riders were caught, and the battle for the stage win and the overall classification really heated up. Lennart Jasch—who had won the second stage for Tudor—made the first move, followed by Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana) and Vauquelin, among others.

Eventually, with about 27 kilometers to go, a decisive breakaway group formed, consisting of Vauquelin, Rondel (also from Tudor), and Conci (also from Astana). General classification leader Alessandro Fancellu (MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort) couldn’t keep up with that surge and quickly saw his leader’s jersey disappear from view.

It quickly became clear that the three riders at the front were battling not only for the stage victory but also for the overall title. Conci tried to shake off his two French rivals on the final climb up Colonnella, but Vauquelin and Rondel responded and brought the trio back together.

Although the peloton was closing in rapidly in the final kilometers, the three held their ground on the uphill finish in Controguerra. Rondel launched the sprint, but Vauquelin closed the gap and passed him in the final 100 meters. Thus, the INEOS rider scored a double victory on the final day: a stage win and the overall victory in the Giro d’Abruzzo.

The British team also won the points classification with Dorian Godon and the youth classification with Vauquelin. All’s well that ends well, after Netcompany INEOS tried in vain to win a stage during the first three days.