"He is very important for me" - Jonas Vingegaard is racing to win the Giro d'Italia and teaching Visma's next leader

The 2026 Giro d'Italia is extremely important for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Jonas Vingegaard made it a big goal of his and is racing to try and complete his Grand Tour set, whilst he and the team are training Davide Piganzoli to potentially become their new leader for future editions of the Corsa Rosa.

The 23-year old was signed this winter for the Dutch team and has quickly gotten adapted to the new environment, which is bringing a new level from him. His first outing with the team was a sixth at the highly-contested Faun-Ardèche Classic; however after a modest spring he has arrived at the Giro d'Italia at an incredibly high level that also puts the team in a very positive move for the future.

“I am here as a helper for Jonas, but of course I also want to learn as much as possible from him. He is our big GC rider, so I try to take a lot from that," Piganzoli shared in words to In de Leiderstrui. "In the future, the team would like me to become a GC leader for them, so this Giro is a very good experience".

Without the budget to rival signings such as those of UAE Team Emirates - XRG, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe and Lidl-Trek, Visma had to settle to signing more modest names this winter. The retirement of Simon Yates, last year's winner, meant the team began the season in a deficit in relation to 2025.

But Piganzoli's development is what the team could hope for him. Jorgen Nordhagen had previously been termed the 'mini Vingegaard' and recently his fourth place at the Tour de Romandie provided great signings of his development. However at age 21, patience and time must be given. Piganzoli is a rider with more years as a professional and someone who has the experience of being a leader at his previous team.

Over the past few months, the Italian has prepared just like Jonas Vingegaard and has learnt a lot from the Dane. “I can learn almost everything from him. It started already at altitude on Teide, where I really saw how he prepares for a Grand Tour like the Giro. Jonas is rarely stressed and he is very relaxed, even when there are hard days.”

Like a sponge, Piganzoli has absorbed the knowledge of the two-time Tour de France winner, and that effort is paying off now. “He sometimes takes me aside to explain something new. How to train, how to eat, how to recover better. For me, that is very nice. He is very important for me.”

His performances have only been improving this Giro, and his ascent to the Top10 in the Valle d'Aosta is a fruit of a fourth place in a stage where he went all-out to launch his leader. This is a level he is reaching after a set of changes in his training and nutrition.

“I came from a very small team. I think there were 40 or 50 people in total. Here there are around 250 (including women's and development teams, aside from all the extra staff, ed.). It is impressive. There are people for every problem and every discussion is explored in detail.”

But Piganzoli believes he made the right choice by joining the ranks of Visma. “Many teams wanted me last seasons. I had a difficult winter trying to make the right choice. But Visma was the best place to take the next step in my career. The equipment, the Foodcoach (nutrition app, ed.), everything. I am in the right place in the peloton.”