“For me, a truly successful season still depends on winning the Tour” – Giro trilogy dream won’t distract Jonas Vingegaard from yellow quest

Jonas Vingegaard is about to do something he has never done before. In 2026 he will start the Giro d'Italia for the first time, chasing a Grand Tour trilogy that only a handful of riders have ever completed. Yet even with that new challenge on the calendar, his own definition of success has not shifted.

“For me, a truly successful season still depends on winning the Tour,” he said in a Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s official press release, which confirmed his 2026 programme.

That single line frames everything about his coming year. New goals, new routes, new risks. But the same old obsession.

Vingegaard’s decision to target the Giro is not a whim. It is something he has been circling for years, now unlocked by the confidence of having won both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana. “I have already won in France and Spain. Now I want to do the same in Italy,” he said, explaining why 2026 finally feels like the right moment.

He will open his season at the UAE Tour, continue through Volta a Catalunya, and then head to the Giro d'Italia with full intent, not as preparation but as a genuine target. “I have been thinking about riding the Giro for a while now,” he added. “It’s one of the biggest races on the calendar, and it’s also one I have never done before. I really want to experience it, and now feels like the perfect moment.”

The ambition is clear and direct. “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.”

Yet nowhere in that plan does the Tour disappear. The Giro is an addition, not a replacement.

Vingegaard’s 2025 season would be career-defining for most riders: Vuelta champion, second at the Tour de France. For him, it still fell short of the line he draws for himself. “It was a good year, but not exceptional,” he said. “I have already won the Tour twice.”

That is the reference point. Everything else is measured against it. “Celebrating another victory in Paris is something I continue to dream about.”

Even the decision to change his preparation is framed around that central goal. For the first time in five years, he will arrive at the Tour from the Giro rather than his usual build-up. “Over the past five years, my build-up to the Tour has been largely the same. This time we have chosen something new,” he explained. “The organisation 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 favourable option for us.”

The logic is strategic, but the target remains emotional and singular. “Winning it for a third time would be incredible.”

The 2026 Tour de France will not wait for anyone to settle in. It begins in Barcelona with a team time trial, a discipline Visma invest heavily in. “We will need to be sharp right away for the team time trial in Barcelona,” Vingegaard said. “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.”

He expects a different kind of Tour this time, one where gaps may be smaller and pressure more constant. “That’s different from recent years. The time gaps might be smaller as a result.”

Which only reinforces why, in his mind, nothing else can replace the Tour as the ultimate measure.

What happens after the Tour is still open. “As for what comes after the Tour, that really depends on how I’m feeling,” Vingegaard concluded. “The focus is fully on the Giro first and then the Tour. Those are my main goals. And for those, I’m extremely motivated.”

The Giro represents history, curiosity and legacy. The Tour remains identity.

In 2026, Vingegaard may chase pink for the first time in his life. But the season, in his own words, will only ever be judged in yellow.