Vingegaard: Giro-Tour Double Attempt in 2026 | Cycling News

What is Jonas Vingegaard — already one of the best grand tour riders of this century — supposed to do while racing in the same era as one of cycling’s all-time greats?

Race the Tour of Italyof course.

That’s what the 29-year-old Dane is doing in 2026 in an audacious plan to complete the grand tour sweep and perhaps steal a major win without having to go toe-to-toe against the generational force of Tadej Pogačar.

Vingegaard confirmed Tuesday that he will race both the Giro and the Tour de France in 2026, though he insists the decision is not all about sidestepping Pogačar’s dominance.

Instead, it’s about keeping things fresh and inserting a new finish line in what’s already a storied career.

“I have been thinking about riding the Giro for a while now,” Vingegaard said of his Giro debut. “I really want to experience it, and now feels like the perfect moment.”

What’s behind Visma-Lease a Bike‘s even bigger bet on the 2026 grand tour racing season?

There are some interesting reasons, and they’re not all about avoiding Pogačar. Let’s dive in:

Chasing the grand tour sweep

Vingegaard confirmed the long-rumored plan at the team’s media day in Spain, after dropping hints since winning the Return to Spain last fall that he would rather add the Italian grand tour to his prize list than bet the entire season a third yellow jersey.

Victory at the Giro — where Pogačar is not expected to start — would make Vingegaard just the eighth male rider in history to win all three grand tours.

The exclusive club includes Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Felice Gimondi, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, and Chris Froome.

Joining that pantheon of legends is a powerful driver behind Vingegaard’s 2026 ambition.

“Of course, that played a role in my decision,” Vingegaard said Tuesday. “I have already won in France and Spain. Now I want to do the same in Italy.

“Winning the Vuelta last fall only gives me more motivation to go all-in for victory in Italy as well. I would love to add the pink jersey to my collection.”

That’s something that not even Pogačar’s done … yet.

Changing the roadmap to July

Another big motivation is having the chance to tweak his season blueprint.

Since emerging as a yellow-jersey contender with second overall at the Tour in 2021, Vingegaard has built his calendar squarely around July.

His track record is formidable: two Tour titles, three runner-up finishes, and Vuelta results that include victory in 2025 and second place to Sepp Kuss in 2023.

Not that the WorldTour can get boring, but a shift in the roadmap offers a breath of fresh air in a sport dominated by a sometimes cut-and-paste training and racing program.

“Over the past five years, my build-up to the Tour has been largely the same. This time we have chosen something new,” Vingegaard said. “The organization has designed a great course for the Giro. Perhaps not as demanding as in recent years, which makes combining the Giro and the Tour a favorable option for us.”

Fatigue, burnout, and mental pressure are already piled on deep, so change is sometimes good. Visma is betting on it.

Giro ‘light’ before the Tour

As Vingegaard pointed out, another critical factor is the Giro route itself.

The 2026 route — stretching from Bulgaria to Rome — is a relatively “light” course by modern grand tour standards, and it appears well suited (some say designed) to his strengths, including a decisive individual time trial of more than 40 kilometers.

No grand tour is ever easy, but Visma’s leadership believes Vingegaard can race for pink in May and still arrive in July ready to contend for yellow.

“Apart from the fact that he has always wanted to do the Giro, we are convinced that racing the Giro will benefit his level in the Tour,” Visma sport manager Grischa Niermann said. “Of course, we are aiming to win the Giro, but the Tour remains our main objective.”

In 2024, Pogačar became the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to complete the Giro-Tour double, one of cycling’s most elusive benchmarks.

Can Vingegaard equal the mark?

Not forgetting the yellow jersey

That ambition shows that he’s not forgetting about the yellow tunic. Far from it.

Like nearly every GC rider in the sport, Vingegaard measures his season by success in the Tour, cycling’s Super Bowl.

“It was a good year, but not exceptional,” Vingegaard said of a 2025 that included second at the Tour and first at the Vuelta. “I have already won the Tour twice.

“For me, a truly successful season still depends on winning the Tour. Celebrating another victory in Paris is something I continue to dream about.”

His choices for 2026 reflect his personal ambition and the reality of racing against Pogačar. Though he didn’t mention him by name, he knows that winning another Tour is now harder than ever.

“Winning it for a third time would be incredible,” he said. “Of course it will be difficult, though it may be more exciting than the past two editions.”

The Pogačar factor

And though he didn’t say it out loud, Vingegaard’s chances of winning the Giro are greatly enhanced by Pogačar’s lean 2026 calendar that includes a heavy emphasis on the monuments and a big peak for July.

In fact, the Tour’s ruling duopoly — Pogi and Vingo have won the past six yellow jerseys between them — won’t even face off this season until July.

Vingegaard is hoping there’s enough gas in the tank to knock off the Giro and then hit his peak when it counts deep into the Tour.

Many of the most decisive moments this year are packed into the final week of the 2026 Tour, giving Vingegaard perhaps a little more wiggle room to recover from the Giro and hit the Alps with all turbos hitting at top power.

Of course, avoiding crashes — something that marred his approach to the Tour in 2024 and 2025 — and trying to knock back Pogačar means the king of the Killer Bees will ride into the Tour with realistic expectations.

“That’s different from recent years. The time gaps might be smaller as a result,” he said of the Tour design. “Still, we will need to be sharp right away for the team time trial in Barcelona. That’s a discipline we invest a lot of time in as a team, and it will be a special way to start the race.”

After two straight drubbings at the Tour, Visma-Lease a Bike and Vingegaard believe a different roadmap could reap even bigger rewards in 2026.

Racing the Giro presents its own kind of dangers. A crash or a too-deep effort could torpedo his chances at the Tour. Winning neither would be a disaster.

Winning either one — or both — would elevate Vingegaard’s reputation even higher.

It’s an audacious bet that reflects the extreme high level of racing in the Big 4 era and one that reveals that Vingegaard and Visma are as ambitious and fearless as ever.

Confirmed 2026 calendar for Jonas Vinegaard:

UAE Tour

Return to Catalonia

Tour of Italy

Tour de France