“I like to dream big, and that’s Jonas Vingegaard” – Young Swiss pro dreams of mirroring Dane’s unusual path to the Tour de France glory

Jonas Vingegaard is heading to the Vuelta a España this month with his eyes on the red jersey, aiming to add the missing Grand Tour title to his palmares. The 28-year-old Dane is widely seen as the second-best GC rider in the world, only behind Tadej Pogacar, and with two Tour de France titles already to his name, he now shifts focus to Spain. His journey from working in a fish factory to standing on top of the Tour podium has become part of modern cycling folklore, and shows that champions can be formed in the most unlikely of places. That same story is now inspiring the next generation of climbers, among them, Nicola Zumsteg, a 2006-born Swiss rider who's quickly emerging as one of the brightest prospects in the U23 ranks.

"I couldn't have dreamed of a better victory for me in the Under 23 category," Zumsteg said to Bici Sport after winning the Zane–Monte Cengio race. “I know I'm an excellent climber, but when you leave your hometown, you always feel like you're competing at a higher level. Plus, I knew I had to shadow Cretti because he's an experienced rider who's already achieved impressive victories and placings.

“In the early stages, the race was plagued by bad weather and wind, so I stayed as sheltered as possible. On the final climb, however, I simply followed Cretti's moves. I gained confidence as I responded to his attacks, and in the end, I had a more brilliant start than him.”

Zumsteg rides for Velo Club Mendrisio, a respected Swiss regional team known for offering a pathway to young talent. “I was born on January 3, 2006, and I ride with the Velo Club Mendrisio, a club team, a regional one, in short, but one that's very important to the Swiss cycling movement, as it gives athletes who would otherwise be hard-pressed to find a similarly caliber team the opportunity to race," he explained. “I started cycling more seriously around the age of ten, inheriting my grandfather's passion, and I've never stopped. After that, I also started competing, even though I was still very young physically.”

While his latest victory has brought more attention, Zumsteg already has a major result under his belt. “Until Zanè–Monte Cengio, the most prestigious victory of my young career had been the one I scored in the first stage of the Tour du Léman, one of the most important stage races in the category. I beat Capello, the Italian who this year is proving to be one of the best in the category. That was the day I realized once and for all that I was a pure climber.”

Like many young riders today, Zumsteg looks to the sport’s biggest names for inspiration, and none more so than Vingegaard. “If I have to dream, I like to dream big, and that's Jonas Vingegaard. For me, he's the epitome of a pure climber, being lean and agile. Furthermore, he also performs admirably in time trials and is even willing to lose second place to take first place, as we saw recently at the Tour de France. And then, although he's always been talented, he's built himself up year after year, constantly training with cutting-edge methodologies. I also really enjoy observing the data I develop.”

Zumsteg is analytical by nature, and sees climbing as both a personal challenge and a battleground of silent suffering. “It's a question of suffering, mine versus that of others; everyone is alone with their own strengths and limitations. It's a silent head-to-head, even internal if you like, during which I focus on my ability to withstand suffering and on the power I develop.

“The mountains are my chosen terrain, the only one where I'd like to excel. Sometimes I find myself fantasizing about winning the toughest stages of the Tour de France while wearing the yellow jersey, but perhaps that's too big a dream even to dream.”

His work ethic isn’t just rooted in cycling. For three years, Zumsteg held down a full-time job as a bricklayer in his hometown of Gansingen, a small Swiss town near the German border.

“I live in Gansingen, a small town in northern Switzerland not far from the German border, so I know very little Italian, just a few words. But I do know the job I did: bricklayer. For three years. It was tiring, but I chose it because I wanted to start earning some money of my own. Now that I've stopped and can focus entirely on cycling, the job seems much easier: I no longer have to make double sacrifices, I no longer have to run after a whole week of work. It was a great training ground for life, if you can say so, and I'm feeling the benefits now.”

Outside of racing, he stays grounded, again similar to his Danish idol. “I try to live in the moment, appreciate what I have, and be as kind as possible. I like hanging out with friends and reading, especially science books, to help me understand more about preparation. When I was given the responsibility of captaining the team, I often proved I was up to the task.”

But not every day has gone to plan. His one major disappointment came on one of the sport’s biggest stages. “I have only one regret: the bad day I had at last year's World Championships. For me, it was my home championship in Zurich, and I certainly didn't set out to finish forty-seventh, more than eleven minutes behind Finn."

That setback hasn’t dimmed his ambition. “I have big ambitions, I'm not going to hide it. I'll dedicate myself solely to cycling for at least two or three seasons, so I can understand my true worth. I think I'm good at rankings, and one of my goals for next year is to compete in the general classifications of the Giro Next Gen and the Valle d'Aosta. And by focusing on the rankings, I should also be able to shine in a few stages.”