American Sepp Kuss celebrated his first stage victory at the Giro d'Italia on Stage 19, while his teammate Jonas Vingegaard moved closer to clinching the overall title. The stage took place on the 19th of 21 stages, covering 151 kilometers from Feltre to Alleghe.

Kuss, the 2023 Vuelta a Espana winner, took charge with just 2 kilometers remaining, overtaking long-time leader Giulio Ciccone. This win makes Kuss the 116th rider to secure a stage victory in all three Grand Tours, having previously won in the 2021 Tour de France.

In his post-race comments, Kuss expressed his determination:

The main challenge is to win the pink jersey with Jonas, and so far it's looking good. When they told me I had the chance to go in the break, I knew I had to seize the opportunity. At the bottom of the climb, Ciccone had a one-minute lead, and I thought it was over. I knew my mother was going to be there 500 meters from the finish, so this is for her and my family.

Derek Gee-West from Canada finished second, 13 seconds behind Kuss, while Ciccone took third, another 23 seconds back. Felix Gall of Austria came in fourth, 39 seconds off the lead, and Vingegaard finished fifth, maintaining his overall lead by four minutes and three seconds over Gall.

Vingegaard, a two-time Tour de France champion and 2025 Vuelta a Espana winner, aims to become just the eighth rider to win all three Grand Tours. The penultimate stage on Saturday is another challenging mountain stage, spanning 200 kilometers from Gemona del Friuli to Piancavallo, leading up to the final stage in Rome on Sunday.