“The fact that I get to ride the Giro in my very first year is really special” - Visma’s new climbing talent set for key Jonas Vingegaard support role in 2026

Davide Piganzoli is not arriving at Team Visma | Lease a Bike as a blank canvas. He is arriving with results, reputation and a very clear first task.

“The fact that I get to ride the Giro in my very first year with the team and support Jonas is really special,” he said in Visma’s official press release introducing him to the squad.

That sentence defines his 2026. Not as a rider chasing his own headline, but as one being trusted immediately on the biggest stage in his home country, in service of Jonas Vingegaard’s Giro d’Italia bid.

For the full overview of how Piganzoli’s role fits into Visma’s wider 2026 strategy alongside Vingegaard, Wout van Aert and Matteo Jorgenson, see our main hub: Visma confirm full 2026 plans of Van Aert, Vingegaard, Jorgenson and more.

Piganzoli is not being promoted on promise alone. His move to Visma comes after several seasons of steady proof.

He finished third overall at the Tour de l’Avenir as a U23, a race long seen as a breeding ground for future Grand Tour riders. As a professional, he confirmed that profile with overall victory at the Tour of Antalya in 2024, including a summit finish win, then backed it up by finishing 13th and 14th in his first two Giro d’Italia starts.

In 2025, he added more evidence with strong general classification results in races like Route d’Occitanie and O Gran Camino, along with podium finishes in tough Italian one day races.

By the time Visma came calling, he was already established as a reliable high mountains rider who rarely disappears across a stage race.

Piganzoli believes the timing is right. “I’m very happy to be joining this team. The project really appeals to me, everything is well organised and all the equipment is top quality,” he said. “I’m convinced that I can continue to develop here both as a rider and as a person.”

He did not make the decision blindly. He called fellow Italian Edoardo Affini to ask what life inside the team was really like. “He told me that Team Visma | Lease a Bike is one big family. That really appealed to me.”

That sense of structure matters for a rider who still sees himself as a work in progress.

Piganzoli is clear about what he wants to become, even if he knows it will take time. At his new team, he wants to keep building both his climbing and time trial ability, with the long-term goal of becoming a general classification rider. For now, though, his first Visma season has a simpler shape.

He will ride the Giro d’Italia as a domestique for Jonas Vingegaard, learning what it means to survive and contribute inside a Grand Tour team built to win. “I will do everything I can to help him there as best as possible,” he said.

That role suits where he is in his career. He already knows how to finish a Giro. Now he has to learn how to influence one.

Piganzoli’s story has always been tied to Lombardy. He grew up in Morbegno, started cycling young, and still speaks about the local races with more emotion than the biggest events. “Il Lombardia is my dream race. It’s close to my home and I love riding there. The Giro comes in second place.”

That sense of place still matters to him, even as his career grows more international. He talks just as easily about wanting to open a coffee shop for cyclists one day as he does about becoming a GC rider. He calls himself cheerful, says he loves cooking, and admits his favourite dish is pizza prosciutto.

None of that changes the fact that, on the bike, he is becoming something serious.

Piganzoli will not be judged in 2026 by where he finishes himself. He will be judged by whether he can survive, support and grow. The Giro will be his classroom. Vingegaard will be his reference point. Visma will be his structure.

For a rider who has already shown he can climb, endure and compete over three weeks, the next step is learning how to make those qualities matter for someone else.

In his very first year in yellow and black, Davide Piganzoli will not be chasing the pink jersey. He will be helping decide who wears it.