Dane Vingegaard rolled into the Italian capital to add the Giro to a pair of Tour de France titles in 2022 and 2023 and the Vuelta a Espana from 2025, the triple crown of road cycling’s three-week showpieces.
Tadej Pogacar has won the Tour de France four times as well as the Giro, but he has yet to win the Vuelta.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider Vingegaard is just the eighth man to win all three, joining Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Vincenzo Nibali in reaching one of road cycling’s hardest goals.
“Winning all three is very special for me, it’s difficult to find the words to describe it,” Vingegaard told Italian broadcaster RAI.
Vingegaard added that he would stay in Rome for a few days with his family before returning to Denmark to begin preparations for the Tour de France and a showdown with Pogacar, cycling’s biggest star and his key rival for the Grande Boucle, which begins on July 4.
“It all depends on how you come out of the Giro,” added Vingegaard.
“If you’re completely exhausted and need two weeks of rest afterwards, it’s not ideal. But I’m not completely exhausted.”
Visma chief Richard Plugge said that his team is a “yellow jersey organisation” and is confident Vingegaard will contend for overall victory on the Tour.
“Jonas is getting even stronger after this. We planned it so that he will be at his peak in the Tour de France, so we’re looking forward to that fight,” said Plugge. (AFP)