"He is very important for me" - Jonas Vingegaard is racing to win the Giro d'Italia and teaching Visma's next leader
Cycling
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.
Relationship with Jonas Vingegaard
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.”
Only Felix Gall could follow Davide Piganzoli's acceleration to launch Jonas Vingegaard on the Pila summit finish
Change from Polti to Visma meant everything
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.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
- If Tiberi has a better and more consistent 2027 I somehow doubt it will be because of this victorious warning. Unless his preparation has been off, cycling isn't football.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment