Johannes Staune-Mittet has won the Giro del Belvedere. The 21-year-old Norwegian of the Jumbo-Visma Development Team proved to be the strongest rider in the hilly Italian landscape, beating Italy's Davide De Pretto and teammate Loe van Belle. Tijmen Graat finished fourth.

The 84th Giro del Belvedere provided the riders with a challenging final. In the last kilometres, Staune-Mittet and Tijmen Graat, among others, joined Van Belle in a strong breakaway that included four other cyclists. The Norwegian then took off on his own and crossed the line solo shortly afterwards.

"It's always special to get your first win of the season", Staune-Mittet said. "I raced here two years ago as well, but then I didn't have my best day. I knew I wanted to come back because I think it is a nice race. To finish it off is super nice."

Staune-Mittet is grateful to his teammates for the way they worked together. "We came here with a really strong team, and after finishing third with Per Strand Hagenes last year, we were determined to go for the win this time around. In the last few kilometres, Tijmen, Loe and I were at the front, and we had to try and play it out. Never before had I found it so exciting to see if we would make the right choice. As long as one of us won, I didn't care who did. Fortunately, that happened."

For the Team Jumbo-Visma Development Team, the victory of Staune-Mittet, who will be a pro rider with the Dutch outfit next year, marked the fifth win of this season.