Giro ’26 St.13: Bettiol Blasts to Breakaway Glory in Verbania

Race Report: After spending much of this Giro throwing punches that never quite landed, the Italian strongman from XDS-Astana timed it perfectly on Stage 13, storming clear from a large breakaway to claim victory in Verbania. The Italian reeled in an attacking Andreas Leknessund on the final climb before riding clear in the closing kilometers to secure his second career Giro stage win. Leknessund settled for another agonizing second place, while Jasper Stuyven rounded out the podium.

Stage 13, a 189-kilometer run from Alessandria to Verbania, had “breakaway day” written all over it from the start. Aside from the late climbs of Bieno and Ungiasca, there simply wasn’t enough terrain to tempt the GC riders into all-out war. Even Victor Campenaerts called it before the flag dropped, predicting the stage would almost certainly be won from the escape.

The Route

Stage 13 is one of those deceptively dangerous Giro days—the kind that looks sleepy on paper until the finale starts throwing punches.  We were last in Verbani in 2015 – when Ed & Martin logged this Roadside Report.

The first 160 kilometers are almost billiard-table flat, dragging north across the Po Plain from Alessandria toward Lake Maggiore on long, wide roads where crosswinds, boredom, and nervous positioning could be bigger enemies than the terrain itself, before the scenery improves dramatically along the western shore of Lake Maggiore.

The final 30 kilometers pack in all the climbing, first over the manageable slopes of Bieno, then the sharper, more selective Ungiasca, where ramps north of 10% could quickly turn fast men into spectators. From there it’s a rapid descent into Verbania, where attackers, punchy classics riders, and surviving sprinters will all fancy their chances.

Fifteen Riders Slip the Leash

The opening hour delivered the usual Giro chaos, with attacks flying from kilometer zero.

After nearly thirty minutes of relentless racing, an early move finally gained some breathing room featuring Johan Jacobs, Andreas Leknessund, Diego Pablo Sevilla, Larry Warbasse, Michael Valgren, Mark Donovan, and Vicente Rojas. But the peloton remained restless, and the real move of the day had yet to form.

When a second wave bridged across—including Mikkel Bjerg, Alberto Bettiol, Mirco Maestri, Markus Hoelgaard, Axel Huens, Jasper Stuyven, Josh Kench, Francesco Busatto, and Toon Aerts—the elastic finally snapped.

The bunch sat up.

Fifteen riders clear, cooperation solid, and suddenly the gap ballooned. With more than 10 minutes in hand inside the final 100 kilometers, everyone up front knew they weren’t riding for TV time anymore—they were riding for the stage win.

And Then the Climb

The real racing waited until the final climb to Ungiasca.

New Zealander Josh Kench opened the hostilities first, launching an ambitious move that briefly stretched the elastic. But it was quickly answered by Andreas Leknessund, who looked every bit the strongest rider on the climb.

The Norwegian champion accelerated repeatedly and seemed determined to ride everyone off his wheel.

Everyone, that is, except Bettiol.

The Italian never panicked.

He shadowed Leknessund all the way up the climb, stubbornly refusing to let the gap stretch beyond a handful of seconds. Then, inside the final kilometer of climbing on a corner jammed with fans, Bettiol delivered the knockout punch.

One acceleration.  He surged across to Leknessund, rode straight past him, and quickly opened a 19 seconds lead over the summit.

The fans went nuts.

Leknessund Left Wondering Again

Behind, Leknessund tried desperately to claw his way back, but the damage was done.

Bettiol never faltered, holding his advantage all the way into Verbania, where he celebrated a deserved and emotional Giro victory—his second ever in the Italian Grand Tour.

For Leknessund, the result stung. Again.

The Norwegian crossed the line in second place for the third time in his Giro career, wondering what might have been. Jasper Stuyven, always lurking, sprinted in shortly afterward to complete the podium.

For the GC riders? A rare quiet day.

But for Bettiol, after weeks of attacking and near misses, Stage 13 was finally the day everything came together.

2026 Giro d’Italia Results