U23 World Champion Lorenzo Finn seals Giro Next Gen victory with stage 8 time trial win

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe Rookies rider Lorenzo Finn sealed the overall title at the Giro Next Gen on Sunday by winning the stage 8 time trial, adding to the lead he gained winning on stage 8.

Finn, who became under-23 road race world champion at only 18 last September in Rwanda, won stage 6 atop Monte Livata to move into the pink jersey, and then confirmed his win by triumphing in the final-stage time trial on Sunday.

Despite the race finishing with a TT, the final day didn’t actually shake up the podium at all, with the final three the same as it had been in the morning. Colombia’s Mateo Ramírez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) finished second after a consistent end to the week, whilst Brazil’s Henrique Bravo (Soudal-QuickStep) held on for third despite only finishing 16th in the TT.

Stage 7 winner Aubin Sparfel (Decathlon CMA CGM Development) climbed up the standings with a strong TT, but just missed out on the podium, settling for fourth.

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The Giro Next Gen, formerly known as the Baby Giro, is run by RCS and is the under-23 version of the Giro d’Italia, running across eight days. It is contested by trade teams, not national outfits, and along with the Tour de l’Avenir is considered one of the most important development races on the calendar.

Former overall winners of the race include Tom Pidcock, Juan Ayuso and Jarno Widar, so if Finn’s talent wasn’t already clear and well-known, he’s definitely added his name to the list of future Grand Tour stars now.

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Other winners across the week in Italy, which featured sprint days, a TT, and two big climbing days, included fellow Red Bull Rookie Davide Donati and Matisse Van Kerckhove, who stepped up to the Visma-Lease a Bike WorldTour team early this year but was back riding with the development squad this weekend.

Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy rider Mattie Dodd won the mountains classification, whilst Donati sealed the points jersey. The youth classification, in which only first-year U23 riders are eligible for, was won by Movistar’s Javier Cubillas.

Giro Next Gen 2026 stage winnersSwipe to scroll horizontally

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