At long last, the wait is over. After coming close throughout the week, Aubin Sparfel finally enjoyed his moment of glory at the 2026 Giro Next Gen. The 19-year-old French talent from Decathlon CMA CGM Development Team claimed victory with a decisive move on Stage 7, the 135-kilometre Sulmona–Piana delle Mele (Guardiagrele), edging Britain’s Elliot Rowe (Visma | Lease a Bike Development) in the sprint for the win.
It was a thoroughly deserved success for Sparfel, who had already established himself as one of the most consistent riders of this year’s race, finishing fourth in Bacoli and third in Crotone. Today, on one of the toughest stages of the Giro, he was finally able to raise his arms in triumph atop the Abruzzo summit.
The decisive attack
The stage, featuring the ascent of Passo Lanciano, saw a large breakaway form in the opening kilometres. Although the escapees posed no immediate threat to the general classification, Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe Rookies kept the race firmly under control, maintaining the gap within manageable limits while steadily reducing the size of the peloton with a fierce pace.
After the descent from Passo Lanciano, Rémi Daumas (Groupama-FDJ) remained alone out front, but that was when the race truly exploded. A quartet of exceptional quality broke clear from the chase group, featuring Eliot Rowe (Visma | Lease a Bike Development), Ibai Villate (Movistar Team), Matteo Scalco (XDS Astana Development Team) and Aubin Sparfel himself. The four riders bridged across to the leader shortly before the start of the final climb to Piana delle Mele.
On the steepest slopes, Sparfel made his move with a blistering acceleration three kilometres from the finish. Only Rowe was able to follow his wheel. The pair passed under the flamme rouge with an advantage of more than 30 seconds over the group of favourites.
