Alleghe (Italy) (AFP) - Jonas Vingegaard took another step towards winning his first Giro d’Italia on Friday after emerging unscathed from a brutal 19th stage won by his teammate Sepp Kuss.

Pre-race favourite Vingegaard has one more stage to get through to ensure his overall triumph in the Italian Grand Tour, with Sunday’s finale a procession around Rome.

The Visma–Lease a Bike rider stuck in the main peloton all day until the final, punishing climb to Alleghe after 151 kilometres of energy-sapping riding through the Dolomite mountains.

He then made sure that he stayed close to nearest rival Felix Gall, who remains just over four minutes off the pace.

Attention now turns to Saturday’s penultimate stage, which features two huge climbs to Piancavallo, with Vingegaard knowing that he will reign supreme if he holds out.

“This is for sure one of the highlights of my Giro. It’s in the top three,” said Vingegaard.

“The big goal will be to stay in the pink jersey after the end of the stage.”

Vingegaard did concede the lead of the Mountains standings to Italian Giulio Ciccone, who was first over four of Friday’s six classified climbs but was denied a stage win by American Kuss who overtook him in the final two kilometres.

“It was never the primary goal (to win the stage). The main challenge was to win the pink jersey with Jonas,” said Kuss, who’s mother was watching on from near the finish line.

“When they told me the other night I had to go in the break, I knew I had to seize the opportunity. It’s something I always dreamed of but every year it gets harder and harder.

“Every year that goes by I think it’s gonna be even harder to win a stage in the Giro, to complete all three. I can’t believe it.”

- Ciccone caught, Narvaez out -

Lidl-Trek rider Ciccone trailed Vingegaard by 81 points in the Mountains classification ahead of Friday’s stage but more than made up that gap, building up a lead of 57 points.

Ciccone had been battling with Einer Rubio on the climbs and when he was pipped by his Movistar rival on the penultimate Passo Falzarego ascent, he shot off angrily down the long descent.

He built up a lead of over a minute but his legs went on his way up to Alleghe and finished third, behind both Kuss– now a stage winner on all three Grand Tours – and Derek Gee-West.

Former Giro champion Jai Hindley climbed to third overall after overhauling Thymen Arensman, who slowed over the final two kilometres and lost a minute on his rival.

Paul Magnier is poised to claim the points jersey after his closest rival Jhonatan Narvaez dropped out early in the stage.

The Frenchman now has a whopping 92-point lead over Jonathan Milan with two stages remaining, including the finale around Rome which will give him a chance for another sprint victory.

Narvaez’s team UAE said that the Ecuadorian, who won three stages in this year’s Giro, was forced to abandon the race after a “small crash on the transfer back to the bus” on Thursday left him unable to compete on a punishing day.

It was more bad news for the 29-year-old who on Thursday conceded the points jersey to Magnier, the winner of stage 18, and was 37 points behind his French rival before the start of racing on Friday.