PILA, Italy (AP) — Pre-race favorite Jonas Vingegaard moved into the overall lead of the Giro d’Italia on Saturday, emphatically taking control of the race by soloing to victory on the brutal 14th stage.
Vingegaard attacked on the daunting climb up to the finish, with just under five kilometers remaining, and no one could follow. The Team Visma-Lease a Bike rider beat Felix Gall by 49 seconds, with Jai Hindley nine seconds further back.
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Riders pedal during the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Aosta to Pila, Italy, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)
The pack rides during the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Aosta to Pila, Italy, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)
Spain's Igor Arrieta Lizarraga is backdropped by mountain peaks as he pedals during the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Aosta to Pila, Italy, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)
The Giro d'Italia's trophy is on display ahead of the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Aosta to Pila, Italy, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Massimo PaoloneLaPresse via AP)
The 133-kilometer (83-mile) route from Aosta included five climbs, two of them ranked category one, including a huge 16-kilometer (10-mile) slog up to the finish at Pila
Afonso Eulálio, who had been in pink since finishing second in the fifth stage, was dropped on the final climb and finished nearly three minutes behind Vingegaard.
The young Portuguese rider managed to remain second in the overall standings, 2:26 behind Vingegaard and 24 seconds ahead of Gall, who moved into third.
Sunday’s 15th stage will offer the riders some respite before a tough final week in the high mountains. The entirely flat 157-kilometer (98-mile) route starts in Voghera and ends with four laps of a circuit in Milan.
The 109th men’s Giro ends on May 31 in Rome.
The women’s Giro runs from May 30-June 7 with Italian rider Elisa Longo Borghini as the defending champion.
AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling
Riders pedal during the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Aosta to Pila, Italy, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)
The pack rides during the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Aosta to Pila, Italy, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)
Spain's Igor Arrieta Lizarraga is backdropped by mountain peaks as he pedals during the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Aosta to Pila, Italy, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Marco Alpozzi/LaPresse via AP)
The Giro d'Italia's trophy is on display ahead of the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Aosta to Pila, Italy, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Massimo PaoloneLaPresse via AP)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — The United States and Iran are close to agreeing on a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war, two regional officials and a diplomat said Saturday, as the United States has weighed a new round of attacks on the Islamic Republic.
Iran signaled “narrowing differences” in negotiations with the U.S. after Pakistan’s army chief held more talks in Tehran, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists in India that “there’s been some progress made" and “there may be news later today.”
The officials and diplomat expressed hope that a final decision on the Pakistan-prepared draft could come within 48 hours as both sides review it. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
They said Vice President JD Vance and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner played significant roles in helping bridge remaining gaps, and that Qatar played a key role by sending a senior official to Tehran to support Pakistan’s mediation efforts.
Still, both Iran and the U.S. emphasized their key positions and have warned of the risks of resuming attacks.
Iran state TV quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei as describing the draft as a “framework agreement" and adding: “We want this to include the main issues required for ending the imposed war and other issues of essential importance to us. Then, over a reasonable time span, between 30 to 60 days, details are discussed and ultimately a final agreement is reached.”
He said the Strait of Hormuz is among the topics discussed.
Positions have moved closer in recent days, Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted Baghaei as saying.
“Over the past week, the trend has been toward narrowing differences,” he said. “We will have to wait and see what happens over the next three or four days.”
Baghaei said nuclear issues are not part of the current negotiations, as Tehran first seeks to end the war before discussing its nuclear program that has long been at the heart of international tensions.
“Our focus at this stage is on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon,” Baghaei said, adding that lifting sanctions on Tehran “has explicitly been included in the text and remains our fixed position.”
Rubio, in New Delhi, said that "even as I speak to you now there is some work being done. There is a chance that whether it’s later today, tomorrow, in a couple days we may have something to say.”
Rubio repeated the U.S. stance that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and must turn over its highly enriched uranium, and the Strait of Hormuz must be open.
Iran has rebuilt military assets after weeks of war and then a fragile ceasefire, parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said after the meeting with Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir, state TV reported.
Qalibaf, the lead negotiator in historic face-to-face talks with the U.S. last month, also said the result would be “more crushing and more bitter” than at the start of the war if U.S. President Donald Trump resumes attacks.
Trump earlier said he was holding off on a military strike against Iran because “serious negotiations” were underway, and at the request of allies in the Middle East. Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.
The U.S. and Israel sparked the war with attacks on Feb. 28, cutting short talks with Iran. Tehran retaliated by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the region’s oil, natural gas and fertilizer, causing global economic pain.
The U.S. then blockaded Iranian ports, and the U.S. Central Command on Saturday said U.S. forces had turned away more than 100 commercial vessels and disabled four since the blockade began April 13.
On his visit to Tehran, Pakistan’s army chief also met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials, the two officials said, adding that Islamabad continues efforts to arrange a second round of direct negotiations.
It was not clear whether Munir met with Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who heads Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, has become a major player in formulating Iran’s tough stance in talks.
Lee reported from Washington.
Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, right, shakes hands with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 23, 2026. (Hamed Malekpour/ICANA via AP)
In this photo released by the Iranian Presidency Office, President Masoud Pezeshkian, right, speaks with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
