"I specifically asked for him to be here with me" - Jonas Vingegaard on his key right-hand man for the 2026 Giro d'Italia at Visma

Jonas Vingegaard is about to tackle the 2026 Giro d’Italia. It will be the Visma - Lease a Bike superstar’s debut at the Corsa Rosa, where he is the leading favourite for the overall. A win would place him in cycling’s pantheon as one of the few riders to conquer all three Grand Tours. To do so, he will rely on Victor Campenaerts, whom he considers high right-hand man.

“I’m very happy to be here, to start the Giro. It’s a dream come true,” the Dane told Cycling Pro Net, making clear his debut at the Corsa Rosa goes far beyond the competitive side. The Visma leader recalled childhood years watching the race on TV and his special bond with Italy, a country that has always drawn him in.

Even so, the emotional pull does not mask his ambition: Vingegaard now has the chance to complete his Grand Tour set and join a rare historical club, after also having won La Vuelta the previous summer.

“I really wanted to race it, but also to now have the chance to win all three Grand Tours,” he said, hinting that the end goal is obvious, even if he prefers not to state it bluntly.

With comfortable overall wins at Paris-Nice and Volta a Catalunya, it's hard to argue that Vingegaard could've had a better spring. He now arrives at the Giro as the man to beat; the outright favourite to win the pink jersey.

After his outing at the Volta a Catalunya, the Dane insists he has done everything to arrive in top condition: “I’ve had a pretty good build-up,” he explained. Still, he knows the Giro poses unique challenges even for a proven three-week contender.

“There are many hard stages and you have to stay focused every day,” he noted, underlining the constant demands of a race that offers no respite. Beyond the big mountain days, Vingegaard zeros in on consistency and day-to-day sharpness as keys to targeting victory in Rome.

In a war of attrition like the Giro, the team’s role will be decisive, and here Vingegaard is notably pleased. He stressed the importance of his teammates, especially Victor Campenaerts, whom he sees as central to his set-up: “He’s very important to me. I specifically asked for him to be here with me,” he revealed.

Beyond his racing engine, the Dane praised Campenaerts’ analytical edge: “He’s a very smart guy, he thinks about everything much more deeply than other riders,” he explained. He even admitted it can be hard to keep up with his mental pace at times, but sees it as a plus: “It’s good to have someone like that, he pushes the team to new limits.”

Although much of the peloton and punditry cast him as the top pick, Vingegaard shrugs off that label with ease: “I don’t think I’m the only favourite. There are many other strong riders here,” he concluded.