Gall Defends Second Place on Giro's Queen Stage as Kuss Takes Win

Kuss finished 13 seconds ahead of Canadian Derek Gee-West, with Ciccone a further 23 seconds back in third. Gall crossed the line in fourth, 39 seconds behind the winner, immediately ahead of the maglia rosa Vingegaard.

This marked the first time Gall finished ahead of Vingegaard at a mountain-top finish in this Giro, after four previous second places behind the race leader. The 28-year-old Austrian attacked from a small chase group around Vingegaard on the final climb.

Only Vingegaard and third-placed Jai Hindley of Australia could follow Gall's attack. The trio had been part of a larger breakaway group that disintegrated after the Passo Giau, the highest point of this year's race at 2,235 meters.

Gall's Strong Defense

Gall, the Decathlon team captain from East Tyrol, said he felt very good all day. "Ich habe mich den ganzen Tag sehr gut gefühlt und habe auch die Landschaft genießen können," he told reporters, adding that he was cheered on by numerous home fans. "Ich habe sehr oft meinen Namen gehört."

In the general classification, Gall holds a one-minute lead over Hindley, who rides for the Red Bull team. Dutch rider Thymen Arensman of Ineos dropped from third to fourth place overall after finishing 12th on the stage.

Gall trails Vingegaard by 4 minutes and 3 seconds with two stages remaining. He is on course for the best Austrian result in a Grand Tour since Adolf Christian's third place at the 1957 Tour de France.

What Comes Next

The queen stage result marked Gall's fifth top-5 stage finish at this Giro d'Italia. Austrian Gregor Mühlberger finished the stage in 17th place, 4 minutes and 7 seconds behind Kuss, and holds 17th place overall.

The penultimate stage on Saturday features another difficult mountain test, with a summit finish in Piancavallo after 200 kilometers and 3,750 meters of elevation gain. The Giro d'Italia concludes with a flat stage starting and finishing in Rome on Sunday.