Never stop believing! Filippo D’Aiuto produced a masterpiece of strength and resilience at the finish in San Benedetto dei Marsi, on Stage 3 of Il Giro d’Abruzzo 2026. The Friulian rider from General Store-Essegibi-F.lli Curia, who had been part of the day’s breakaway, found himself alone at the front with 15 km to go and somehow managed to defend a 45” advantage all the way to the line, holding off the fast-charging peloton.
Once again, Dorian Godon (Netcompany Ineos) was left disappointed. After his team had worked all day, the Frenchman won the bunch sprint but had to settle for second place, with Tommaso Dati (Team Ukyo) third. Alessandro Fancellu (MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort) remains in the Maglia BiancoVerdeBlu and even managed to extend his lead over Lennart Jasch (Tudor), second overall, by 4” after a gap opened up in the final sprint.
D’Aiuto goes all-in in the finale
The breakaway formed after the Valico Colle Civitella, with Jack Makohon (EF Education-Aevolo), Filippo D’Aiuto (General Store-Essegibi-F.lli Curia), Omer Ramon (NSN Development), Michele Pascarella (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali), Giacomo Garavaglia and Manuel Oioli (Swatt Club) building a maximum advantage of 4’30” over a peloton driven by Netcompany Ineos and Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, the latter working for Fernando Gaviria.
It looked like the classic script, with little hope for the breakaway. But with 30 km to go, D’Aiuto and Oioli, unhappy with the pace at the front, upped the tempo and rode away from their companions. The General Store rider in particular looked to be flying and, with 15 km remaining, he powered clear of Oioli as well. It seemed like a desperate move, perhaps little more than an attempt to gain some extra exposure, with the peloton looming just 45” behind. Instead, D’Aiuto kept going full gas and his advantage began to fall very, very slowly.
Netcompany struggled to find much cooperation from the other teams, opening the door for D’Aiuto to pull off a remarkable victory. He repeatedly looked over his shoulder, kept an eye on the gap to the peloton and eventually reached the finish with enough time to flex his muscles in celebration.
Although he does not officially race at professional level, competing for a Continental team, this is already his second victory against the pros after his success at the Settimana Coppi & Bartali in March. To make the achievement even more impressive, it came in the fastest stage in Il Giro d’Abruzzo history, completed at an average speed of 48.793 km/h.
