Van Bekkum’s brave solo bid falls just short as Red Bull Rookies deliver Donati in bizarre finale
CyclingThursday, 26 February 2026 at 15:27
Davide Donati won stage 2 of the Giro di Sardegna on Thursday. The day exploded on the final climb, but after the groups came back together, it was the 20-year-old Italian from the Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe Rookies who proved the fastest from a reduced bunch.
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After an unexpected winner on day one in Sardinia, the second stage offered a similar profile: 136.3 kilometres from Oristano to Carbonia.
Along the way, riders tackled three categorised climbs, although two barely deserved the label. Genna Sciria was 8.4 kilometres at an average of 2.8%, while Colle di Buggurru was steep at 9.1% — but only one kilometre long.
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With the overall picture wide open after stage 1, the fight to make the break was intense. And because nobody was given any easy space, it took a long time before the race settled into a proper rhythm.
Just over 70 kilometres from the finish, three riders tried their luck over Genna Sciria, but the peloton crested together. Louis Vervaeke took the KOM points for Soudal Quick-Step, and The Wolfpack continued to keep the pace honest in the bunch.
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Zana ignites the final climb and forms an elite group
Over the Colle di Buggurru, Quick-Step allowed a small group to ride away, but there were few notable names in it. The real fireworks were saved for Valico Montecani — the third and final categorised climb of the day, measuring 6.5 kilometres at 5.7% on average.
With Quick-Step reeling in the remaining attackers on the climb, Filippo Zana — runner-up on Wednesday — put the hammer down. It split the race into a select group of around 15 riders over the top, where Darren van Bekkum (XDS Astana Team) attacked and went clear.
The Dutchman never got a huge gap, partly because Soudal Quick-Step still had two riders present in Zana and Gianmarco Garofoli. Harry Hudson (Lidl-Trek Future Racing), experienced Italian Fausto Masnada (MBH Bank Ballan CSB Telecom), and overall leader Nicolò Garibbo also made the move.
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Can Van Bekkum avoid a sprint?
Van Bekkum’s advantage grew to around 15 seconds with 10 kilometres to go. But the peloton wasn’t far behind either, and quickly bridged up to the first chase group containing Zana and company. That made Van Bekkum’s chances look a lot slimmer, with a reduced bunch sprint looming.
Still, after the final climb, there were not many pure fast men left — and no team seemed eager to burn everything for such an uncertain outcome. That hesitation briefly played into Van Bekkum’s hands: with 6.5 kilometres remaining, he had stretched it to roughly 20 seconds.
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For a moment, the dream was alive. But as the Dutchman’s legs began to empty, the peloton’s tempo rose almost unnoticed. Van Bekkum was eventually caught and the race headed towards a sprint from a heavily thinned-out group.
What followed was a remarkably technical run-in, packed with roundabouts, tight corners and rising metres. Several riders tried to anticipate, but Red Bull’s Rookies timed their lead-out best — placing Donati perfectly for the final corner, which came incredibly late, at roughly 50 metres from the line.
Results stage 2 Tour of Sardinia 2026
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Latest Comments
- 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
- Those events are mental rest for him. Fun, without expectations. *Sagan lost his abilities because he gained weight and got lazy. Pogi will likely retire before that has a chance at happening.Veganpotter14-12-2025
- Ah, the consequences of riding for Israel.Veganpotter11-12-2025
- Pidcock could follow everyone but Pogi while finishing 3rd. No second place rider this season😃Veganpotter16-11-2025
- Now the Palestinian protestors can stop their whining. Trump came to the rescue. So they can now STFU and go back to waving the rainbow flags.raufus15-10-2025
- Cracked the code lol. If it was that easy to 'crack the code' jonny Vegas would be charging up the Kwaremont giving Pog a dose of his medicine. Evenepoel can't match pog on a climb and neither can mvdp. Anything with a half difficult climb and Pog smashes the field. Even on flat(ish)parcours like Roubaix it came down to a mistake and crash by pog to definitively crown mvdp. MSR is the only one that Pog probably won't win.kevpt10-10-2025
- We've seen this movie before. I think Pogacar is doping.DeadBlow10-10-2025
- 👍Bea08-10-2025
- 👌🏻Bea08-10-2025
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