The Norwegian, wearing the Maglia a Pois, wins in Vezzano Ligure, ending a 42-year drought for his nation. The Belgian, third on the day, moves into the overall lead.
The 2008-born riders stole the show at the Giro della Lunigiana as Kristian Haugetun and Seff Van Kerckhove lit up a brutal and selective second stage, which also brought a change at the top of the overall standings.
The race was decided on the final climb to Vezzano Ligure, the fifth KOM of the day. At the foot of the ascent, Pascarelle (Campania), Morlino (Piemonte), and Frigo (Veneto) led the race with 15 seconds over France’s Le Pann and 50 seconds on what remained of the Maglia Verde group. The chase from behind proved decisive, and with one kilometer to go the trio was caught. Morlino launched a long sprint, but with 100 meters left Haugetun surged past to claim Norway’s first stage win since 1983.
Just behind, Van Kerckhove finished third, taking the Maglia Verde thanks to bonus seconds and the small gap conceded by Anatol Friedl, who crossed the line seventh at +3”.
Tomorrow brings a demanding double stage, with two sectors to be tackled within a few hours.
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GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Seff Van Kerckhove (Belgium)
2 – Anatol Friedl (Austria) at 3″
3 – Kristian Haugetun (Norway) at 14″
4 – Luca Morlino (Piemonte) at 18″
5 – Giacomo Rosato (Veneto) at 24″
STAGE RESULTS
1 – Kristian Haugetun (Norway), 96.3 km in 2h27’01” average speed 39.297 km/h
2 – Luca Morlino (Piemonte) s.t.
3 – Seff Van Kerckhove (Belgium) s.t.
4 – Giacomo Rosato (Veneto) s.t.
5 – Marek Stiblik (Czech Republic) at 3″
THE OFFICIAL JERSEYS OF THE 49TH GIRO DELLA LUNIGIANA
The leader jerseys of the Giro della Lunigiana are designed and produced by Alka
- Maglia Verde, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by Spigas – Terre di Luni – Seff Van Kerckhove (Belgium)
- Maglia Blu, leader of the Points Classification, sponsored by Liguria 2025 Regione Europea dello Sport – Seff Van Kerckhove (Belgium)
- Maglia a Pois, leader of the KOM Classification, sponsored by Conad – Kristian Haugetun (Norway)
- Maglia Bianca, leader of the Young Riders Classification, sponsored by G.I.A.D.A. Progetti Arredi Personalizzati – Seff Van Kerckhove (Belgium)
- Maglia Arancione, leaderof the Intermediate Sprints, Regione Liguria – Memorial Massimo Vanello – Mathias De Keersmaeker (Belgium)
- Maglia Celeste, leader of the Italian Riders Classification, sponsored by A.L.A. Area Ligure Apuana – Luca Morlino (Piemonte)
QUOTES
Kristian Haugetun: “I came here with the goal of fighting for the GC, so I’m really happy to win and also move up in the Maglia Verde battle. The finale wasn’t easy to manage, the breakaway had a good gap, but we pushed hard and I chose the right moment to attack. I feel great and I’ll try again — I want to take these colors even higher
Seff Van Kerckhove: “It’s really special to wear the Maglia Verde, even if there’s a bit of regret about the stage. Maybe I waited too long, but I’m happy to be on top of the standings. I can handle all kinds of terrain, so tomorrow I’ll try to confirm my form on the second uphill finish as well”.
Luca Morlino: “Today was really tough, but I’m satisfied with my performance. I thought the three-man attack could go all the way, but the peloton came back quickly. I launched my sprint early, but against Haugetun there was nothing I could do. With Capello we share leadership duties, so my move also allowed him to stay calm in the bunch. Tomorrow I’ll try to stay safe in the morning sector and see what I can do in the afternoon one”.
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