ANALYSIS: Jonas Vingegaard’s brutal 2026 route with Giro debut, Tour rematch and threats from Pogacar and Evenepoel

Since last Tuesday, 13 January, Jonas Vingegaard’s 2026 race calendar has been known. After weeks of rumours, Team Visma | Lease a Bike finally confirmed their star’s debut at the Giro d’Italia. The Corsa Rosa is the big new element in the Dane’s programme, but that does not mean he has forgotten about a Tour de France that will once again be his main objective.

Vingegaard will attempt the same double that his arch-rival Tadej Pogacar completed in 2024. That year, the Slovenian won both races, and the Visma leader hopes to do the same in a season in which he will also ride the UAE Tour and the Volta a Catalunya. In other words, his calendar, including the Grande Boucle, is as follows: UAE Tour 2026: 16 to 22 February. Volta a Catalunya 2026: 23 to 29 March. Giro d’Italia 2026: 8 to 31 May. Tour de France 2026: 4 to 26 July.

After the Tour, Jonas Vingegaard has left the door open to racing the World Championships in Montreal, a course that suits him perfectly. But for now, these are the four key dates, and in each of them the Visma rider will face very tough challenges if you look at the rivals he will be up against in each one: Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro, Enric Mas, Pogacar himself...

For that reason, this article will analyse, based on the confirmations already made by most teams for the races mentioned, the main opponents Jonas Vingegaard will face in each of the four races he will ride in 2026. In order, we will point out the main candidates to take the overall classification from him.

Vingegaard’s season debut will be on enemy territory: that of UAE Team Emirates XRG. At the UAE Tour, the Dane will be the favourite to win the general classification with the climbs of Jebel Hafeet and Jebel Jais. However, the start list is stellar. Although Tadej Pogacar will not be there, the three main rivals he will have in the race are, for now: Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe). Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG). Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious).

Many confirmations are still missing, but just knowing that he will mainly face Evenepoel and Del Toro is already a big attraction for the spectator. Without doubt, a trial by fire to start the season against two of the best cyclists in the world.

Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel will face each other at the UAE Tour 2026.

In his second race, things get even more complicated. This year’s Volta a Catalunya is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and evenly matched of recent years. The number of riders already confirmed for one of the main one-week WorldTour stage races is considerable. Of those already announced, the five toughest rivals for Jonas Vingegaard are: Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe). Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates - XRG). Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe). Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM). Mikel Landa (Soudal - Quick-Step).

At first glance, the most striking thing is the star duo from Red Bull made up of Evenepoel and Lipowitz. For both, it will be a crucial first test, as they will repeat the pairing at the Tour de France. Alongside them will also be an Almeida who could deal Vingegaard a psychological blow ahead of the Giro d’Italia. Not forgetting Gall, who will have Leo Bisiaux by his side, and Mikel Landa as Quick-Step’s leader.

The third challenge is already a Grand Tour. And not just any one: Jonas Vingegaard’s first Giro d’Italia as a professional. Although the Dane will start as the clear favourite in the absence of Tadej Pogacar, a start list that will obviously include several of the best stage race riders in the current peloton should not be underestimated. The five strongest will be:

Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates - XRG). Enric Mas (Movistar Team). Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost). Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe). Ben O’Connor (Team Jayco AlUla).

There are many more, such as Adam Yates at UAE. But the Briton will be a domestique for an Almeida who will try to take revenge for last year’s Vuelta a Espana. There, the Portuguese rider was not very far behind Vingegaard. In addition, Enric Mas as Movistar Team leader also raises high expectations, as it will also be his first time in the Corsa Rosa.

Richard Carapaz’s love affair with the Giro is already well known: winner in 2019 and third in the 2025 edition, where he came very close to winning the race were it not for what happened on stage 20 over the Colle delle Finestre. Then Giulio Pellizzari is also aiming very high, even more so with the support of Jai Hindley and Aleksandr Vlasov, and Ben O’Connor is looking for redemption.

And the best thing is that many riders still have to be added to the list of rivals, as well as others already confirmed such as Mikel Landa, who will take on a leading role in the Wolfpack. At INEOS Grenadiers, for example, nothing has been made official, but everything points to Egan Bernal and Thymen Arensman as co-leaders.

Finally, the jewel in the crown. The 2026 Tour de France will be the sixth that Jonas Vingegaard rides as leader of Visma Lease a Bike. He will do so with a line-up that is already confirmed (barring injuries or other setbacks), where he will be joined by Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson, Victor Campenaerts, Sepp Kuss, Ben Tulett, Christophe Laporte and Bruno Armirail.

In other words, Visma will go all in with the aim of reclaiming the throne of the Grande Boucle. And to do that they must mainly defeat a Tadej Pogacar who has won the last two editions and will go for the fifth of his career, which would draw him level with the all-time record held by Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault.

The thing is, it will not only be Pogacar, of course. All teams will bring their best riders to the Tour de France, and the five plus one toughest rivals Jonas Vingegaard will face over the three weeks will be: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG). Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe). Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek). Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG). Cian Uijtdebroeks (Movistar Team).

As has been said, Pogacar will be the main target. But the Slovenian will have Isaac del Toro as his star domestique, who can also perfectly aim for a podium place in the general classification. He will also once again face the Red Bull duo of Evenepoel and Lipowitz. Juan Ayuso will race with freedom as the new star of Lidl Trek, and the same will happen with Cian Uijtdebroeks at Movistar Team.

And of course, there will be many other rivals to keep an eye on too, such as: Tobias Johannessen, Mikel Landa, Oscar Onley, Kevin Vauquelin, Antonio Tiberi, Lenny Martinez, Mattias Skjelmose, Valentin Paret Peintre, Ben Healy...