“He rode like a rider who can win the Giro d’Italia” - Brian Holm impressed by attacking Jonas Vingegaard on Stage 2

Jonas Vingegaard did not win Stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia, but his first real acceleration of the race was enough to convince Brian Holm that the Dane already looks like a rider capable of taking pink in Rome.

The Visma | Lease a Bike leader attacked near the top of the Lyaskovets Monastery Pass, around 11.5 kilometres from the finish in Veliko Tarnovo. Giulio Pellizzari and Lennert Van Eetvelt were the only riders able to go with him, and for a while the trio looked as if they could stay away for the stage win.

They were caught before the finish, where Guillermo Thomas Silva sprinted to victory and moved into the Maglia Rosa for XDS Astana. Even so, Vingegaard’s move was one of the clearest sporting signals of a chaotic day shaped by crashes, rain and a temporary neutralisation.

Speaking on Eurosport Denmark after the stage, Holm praised both Vingegaard and the way Visma handled the finale. “I think the team rode absolutely fantastically,” he said.

Vingegaard’s attack came late on the final categorised ascent, with around 700 to 800 metres left before the summit. Once he accelerated, the group immediately split, but the timing also meant the front trio had only limited road left to build a decisive advantage before the descent and final run-in.

Holm felt that was the one part of the move that could have been different. “It is very easy to stand here and say, but he ran out of climb a little,” Holm said. “That was because he went so late. I think he went when there were 800 metres left.”

The former rider and long-time cycling figure suggested that an earlier attack might have changed the outcome entirely. “You could have dreamed that he had gone from the bottom, and then maybe he would have had 10 seconds at the top,” Holm explained. “Then I think he would have had a fair chance of riding home alone.”

That did not happen, and Vingegaard ultimately finished in the front group rather than taking the stage or the Maglia Rosa. But the move still showed that Visma were willing to race proactively before the Giro had even reached Italy.

Vingegaard’s attack came after Visma had already spent much of the stage riding in a very different manner to Stage 1. After sitting deep in the bunch during the opening sprint stage, the Dutch team were far more visible on Stage 2, keeping their leader well placed before the dangerous finale.

The move also arrived after a major crash had hit the peloton before the final climb. Wilco Kelderman and Tim Rex were among the Visma riders involved, but Vingegaard avoided the incident and was able to switch focus quickly once the race resumed.

For Holm, the final result mattered less than the impression Vingegaard left on the road. The Danish favourite looked sharp, committed and ready to shape the Giro long before the high mountains. “He rode fantastically, and he rode like a rider who can win the Giro d’Italia,” Holm said.

Stage 2 did not give Vingegaard the race lead, but it did offer an early warning to the rest of the Giro field. When the road rises and the race tightens, Visma’s leader is already prepared to make the first move.