Kuss takes Giro stage as Vingegaard closes in on title

American Sepp Kuss claimed his first Giro d'Italia stage win as team-mate Jonas Vingegaard moved closer to overall general classification victory.

On the 19th of 21 stages, the 31-year-old Kuss - the 2023 Vuelta a Espana winner - took the lead with 2km to go when he caught long-time leader Giulio Ciccone.

He also won one of the individual stages in the 2021 Tour de France and became only the 116th rider to have a stage victory in each of the three Grand Tour events.

"The main challenge is to win the pink jersey with Jonas, and so far it's looking good," said Kuss, who rides for the Visma-Lease A Bike team.

"When they told me the other night I had the chance to go in the break I knew I had to seize the opportunity. This is something I've always dreamed of.

"Every year it gets harder and harder. I keep getting better, but so does everyone else. To win a stage at the Giro, I just can't believe it.

"At the bottom of the climb, he [Ciccone] had one-minute [lead] and I thought it was over. I just tried to focus on doing the finest climb as possible and I knew I had to push it all the way to the line.

"I knew my mother was going to be there standing 500 metres from the finish so a big shout out to her and my family. I only see them a few weeks every year so it's really nice to have her and my friends there so this is for them."

Stage 19 was a 151-km mountain stage from Feltre to Alleghe and Canada's Derek Gee-West finished second, 13 seconds behind Kuss, with Italian Ciccone a further 23 seconds back in third place.

Austrian Felix Gall came fourth, 39 seconds off the lead with Vingegaard coming fifth in the same time.

That meant Denmark's Vingegaard, who has twice won the overall Tour de France title and the 2025 Vuelta a Espana, maintained his advantage over Gall at four minutes and three seconds.

The 29-year-old is bidding to become only the eighth rider to win cycling's three Grand Tours.

The penultimate stage on Saturday is another mountain stage, of 200km from Gemona del Friuli to Piancavallo, before Sunday's final stage in Rome.

Giro d'Italia stage 19 results

Giro d'Italia general classification results after stage 19