Michael Valgren surprises everyone and wins with a Pokemon in his pocket

Michael Valgren (Michael Valgren, EF Education-EasyPost) won the 17th stage of Giro d’Italia 109, from Cassano d’Adda to Andalo for 202 km, ahead of Andreas Leknessund (Andreas Leknessund, Uno-X Mobility) and Damiano Caruso (Damiano Caruso, Bahrain Victorious).

Behind him, the general classification still sees Jonas Vingegaard (Jonas Vingegaard, Team Visma | Lease a Bike) as the leader, who retains the Maglia Rosa.

Order of finish
Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost), 202 km in 4h41’33”, average 43.047 km/h
Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility), 3″
Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), at 6″

General Classification
Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike)
Felix Gall (Felix Gall, Decathlon CMA CGM Team), at 4’03”
Thymen Arensman (Thymen Arensman, INEOS Grenadiers), at 4’27”

Official Jerseys

Pink Jersey (general classification): Jonas Vingegaard (sponsored Io Sono Friuli Venezia Giulia)
Cyclamen Jersey (points classification): Jhonatan Narváez (Jhonatan Narváez, UAE Team Emirates XRG) (in collaboration with ITA – Italian Trade Agency)
Maglia Azzurra (Grand Prix of the Mountain): Jonas Vingegaard (sponsored by Banca Mediolanum)
White Jersey (youth born after 01/01/2001): Afonso Eulalio (Afonso Eulalio, Bahrain Victorious) (sponsored by Conad)
Winner’s Statements

Right after the finish, Valgren commented, “I had a Pokémon with me in my breast pocket, it brought me luck. I thought I would be beaten in the sprint, so I attacked. I was on the limit and luckily the stage was not 500 meters longer. I was missing a victory in a Grand Tour and I’m glad I got it in Italy, where I have collected most of my successes.”