"Beat Pogacar in the Tour again" - Johan Bruyneel says Jonas Vingegaard has one major goal left
Cycling
The route for the 2027 Giro d’Italia has been unveiled, raising one of next season’s biggest questions: which stars from the peloton will choose the Italian race? Johan Bruyneel and Spencer Martin discussed the possibilities on The Move podcast, focusing in particular on Jonas Vingegaard and his potential plans for the season.
The race, which runs from 8 to 30 May 2027, features a demanding route with plenty of climbing, two individual time trials with 57 kilometers in total, and a particularly daunting stage. Riders will tackle the Mortirolo twice and cross the Gavia before a summit finish on stage 16 alone. The parcours could prove highly appealing to the leading climbers and, in the analysts’ view, may attract a top-class field.
For Bruyneel, however, the biggest uncertainty lies not so much in the route as in the riders who will line up at the start. The former professional rider and sports director believes it is too early to know which team leaders will target Italy, though he is fairly certain Tadej Pogacar will not take part in this edition.
Vingegaard could add another Grand Tour to his palmarès
The discussion about Vingegaard produced one of the programme’s most interesting observations. Bruyneel suggested the Dane might prefer to avoid races where he would come up against Pogacar, while noting that he is not the only one who decides his race schedule.
Jonas Vingegaard won the 2026 Giro d'Italia
“If he could really do what he wanted, although of course he isn’t the only one making the decisions, he would prefer not to race in any event where Pogacar is competing,” the Belgian explained.
Bruyneel’s reasoning is that the Giro would represent a major opportunity for Vingegaard. He was particularly emphatic about the Dane’s chances: “If he races the Giro, he’ll win it again. It would be another Grand Tour on his palmarès.”
However, the former sports director believes France should be Vingegaard’s main objective. Having won the Tour twice and also claimed the Giro and Vuelta, he feels the Dane has just one major sporting challenge left: beating Pogacar again in the French race.
“If you’ve won the Tour twice and now you’ve won the Vuelta and the Giro, there’s only one thing left: beat Pogacar in the Tour again,” Bruyneel said.
So, while the Italian route could be highly appealing to Vingegaard, his participation will depend on how he wants to shape a season in which another duel with the Slovenian appears to take priority.
Pogacar not targeting the Giro; Del Toro and Almeida among UAE’s options
Another point on which the guests of The Move agreed was Pogacar’s likely absence. Bruyneel believes the Slovenian’s schedule will revolve around the Tour de France, the World Championships and the Vuelta a España; as well as the spring classics.
“We know for certain that Pogacar won’t race the Giro,” he said, adding that there are signs the Slovenian could also take part in the Spanish Grand Tour.
His absence would leave UAE Team Emirates with an intriguing decision over who should lead its Giro campaign. Bruyneel named three candidates: Isaac del Toro, Adam Yates and Joao Almeida.
The choice will be significant, particularly given the demands of the route. Del Toro is an intriguing option after his progress, while Almeida and Yates have the experience to take on the responsibility of fighting for the general classification.
When Spencer Martin considered a scenario without Pogacar or Vingegaard and asked who would be favourite among Del Toro, Felix Gall, Almeida, Richard Carapaz and Giulio Pellizzari. Bruyneel’s first pick was the Mexican. However, both agreed that the route could also suit the Austrian particularly well.
Felix Gall, a major threat in the general classification
Beyond the two headline names whose participation remains uncertain, Bruyneel and Martin singled out Felix Gall as one of the riders best placed to benefit from the route. The Austrian has finished on the podium in both of the Grand Tours he contested and could find an opportunity in Italy to pursue his first victory in a three-week race.
Spencer Martin believes the parcours suits Gall particularly well because it includes an individual time trial finishing on a climb. Bruyneel also likes the prospect, noting that Gall could take a leading role with his new team, Lidl-Trek.
“His next goal is to try to win a Grand Tour, and I think the Giro is probably his best opportunity if the biggest names are absent,” the Belgian said.
In his own prediction, Bruyneel named Isaac del Toro as favourite if Pogacar and Vingegaard do not take part. However, he acknowledged that Gall has the credentials to challenge him for victory.
Other riders mentioned in the analysis included Richard Carapaz, Giulio Pellizzari, Joao Almeida, Jai Hindley, Egan Bernal and Michael Storer. The two pundits believe the route could particularly suit the Australian rider in his bid for a podium finish.
Felix Gall was second at the 2026 Giro d'Italia and is expected to come back with Lidl-Trek
A demanding route, but with fewer marathon stages
Spencer Martin broke down many of the route’s key features. The 2027 edition will start in Trieste, briefly pass through Slovenia and then return to Italy. The route includes six stages suited to sprinters, eight hilly stages and five mountain stages.
One feature that particularly caught Martin’s attention was the number of summit finishes. There are seven, along with two time trials: an individual test finishing uphill on stage seven and a completely flat course from Monza to Milan on stage 15.
He also pointed to a change from previous editions: only three stages will exceed 200 kilometres. “They have just three stages over 200 kilometres this year,” Martin said, noting that the organizers had shortened several transitional stages.
Read also
Stage 16 will be one of the race’s biggest challenges. Two ascents of the Mortirolo, followed by the Gavia and a summit finish, make for an exceptionally tough day. However, Bruyneel recalled a recurring Giro problem: snow can force changes to the route over the major Alpine passes.
Martin also noted that stage 20 features another demanding mountain stage, with an end on the mythical Monte Zoncolan, so the fight for the general classification will not depend solely on whether the queen stage can be raced in full.
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- lol yeahmij08-11-2026
- I know, their headlines can be so misleading. Pidcock had a great season with 5 wins. and some solid 2nds. no reason to take away from that with a fake headline.mij08-11-2026
- You can clearly see the the posture change from slightly sitting to again out of the saddle while changing of gears in the video of the sprintabstractengineer08-11-2026
- He has already beaten Pogi twice in the TDF. the achievement is over. He cannot beat Pogi now and he only has a few years left at the top. Win Giro and compete in the TDF, maximise palmares.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just looked again at the photo. Yeah I stand by that. If MS had fallen over in Brands direction I don’t even think she would have hit her. You must be a UCI race commissioner. I’ll be sure to check my sock height should I ever see you on a ride. Looks like everyone else on here sees what I see.mij08-11-2026
- I said looking at the photo it doesn’t appear she deviated. Chill out, not stating my word is the final judgement. Just commenting that based on the photo I don’t see it. And BTW the Dutch coach even said she didn’t impede her.mij08-11-2026
- Blah Blah Blah !frieders308-11-2026
- MS said she was changing gears so that caused her slight deviation. Nothing was intentional.frieders308-11-2026
- How can you use a photo post incident to judge the incident itself (which is not hard to find if you’re prepared to invest the same amount of time in searching as writing that comment? It’s harsh but technically right even though this or worse is not always sanctioned in every race. The two things that went against MS (who unfortunately for her would still have won without making her mistake) are that it was not a bunch sprint where there could have been an overlooked incident or mitigating circumstances explaining a deviation. Everything was focused on just those 2, Schreiber was riding beautifully balanced which made her sudden deviation look unnatural stroke as if it could have been in some part intentional whilst she was slowly drifting ever closer towards the barrier to a point that would have reached obstruction level. In her defence, it might have been the realisation she was heading towards that that made her react suddenly and caused the deviation involuntarily. In any case, congratulations to her for the ride of her life, in people’s minds she will be credited for it.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Good boy Obviously doesn’t need that much help dealing with pressure, as some have suggested. Wiser (and humbler) than many far further along their careers. About offering him the moon, recently someone came up with an explanation of the downfall of a football great (either referring to Maradona or Portuguese Ronaldo) saying it was kind of normal after coming back from the moon, except that others, including some who actually did go to the moon like Armstrong (Neil in case anyone is too switched off to realise) didn’t go through any of the same motions after coming back. A lot of how you deal with situations has less to do with the situation than with your character.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
Loading
2 Comments