Jonas Vingegaard targets first Giro d’Italia while thirsting for third Tour de France title
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Visma-Lease a bike's Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard speaking at a press conference during the presentation of the Visma-Lease a Bike cycling team at La Nucia on Jan 13.
PHOTO: AFP
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LA NUCIA – Cycling star Jonas Vingegaard said on Jan 13 he plans to “mix it up a bit” in 2026 by racing the Giro d’Italia for the first time, but added that when judging a season, everything comes down to the Tour de France.
The Dane was speaking in a video interview released by his Visma-Lease a Bike team to coincide with their season launch in La Nucia, Spain.
In 2025, Vingegaard failed to add to his two Tour de France wins, finishing second to Tadej Pogacar, but won the Vuelta a Espana for the first time.
“Now I’ve won the Tour de France and the Vuelta, I only need the Giro d’Italia to complete winning all three of them. That’s a big goal,” he said.
“I’m more motivated than ever, like I haven’t been for years.”
Only seven riders – Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Froome – have won all three Grand Tours.
The Giro runs from May 8 to 31 and Vingegaard said the 2026 route increased its appeal.
“Perhaps not as demanding as in recent years, which makes combining the Giro and the Tour a favourable option for us,” the 29-year-old added.
Vingegaard also said racing the Giro would break up the routine he had fallen into, but that he was encouraged by his success in riding La Vuelta after the Tour in 2025.
“Over the past five years, my build-up to the Tour has been largely the same. This time we have chosen something new,” he said. “To mix it up a bit.
“We analysed my power output when I rode the Tour and Vuelta back-to-back last year and discovered that I wasn’t performing worse, but rather better. I think I can be even better at the Tour by racing the Giro.”
The Tour de France runs from July 4 to 26 and Vingegaard said the route started a little more gently than in the last two years, when Pogacar won.
“It seems like it’s harder toward the end, so maybe more excitement in the last week,” he said. “In order to say it was a really good season, I need to win the Tour de France.”
To support him, Visma have recruited several riders but have lost Simon Yates, the 2025 Giro winner, who surprised the team by retiring, aged 33, on Jan 7.
“It caught us off guard because all the programmes were ready,” Visma’s sporting director Grischa Niermann said. “He was supposed to be the leader at Paris-Nice and have an important role in the Tour de France. He’s irreplaceable, and we would have preferred to know sooner, that’s for sure. But we have to accept it.” AFP
