"The Giro d'Italia is a luxury training camp for Jonas Vingegaard" - Jens Voigt backs Visma leader to become "even stronger" before 2026 Tour de France
Cycling
Jonas Vingegaard’s 2026 season has already been defined by control and authority, but according to Jens Voigt, the most significant part of his campaign may still lie ahead.
After securing overall victories at Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya, where he took two stages and settled the race with one decisive move in the mountains, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader has positioned himself as the standout Grand Tour contender of the early season.
“The Giro d’Italia is a luxury training camp for Jonas,” Voigt said in conversation with Eurosport. “It will make him even stronger.”
The Dane has changed his usual build this season, adding the Giro d’Italia to a campaign that already includes dominant overall victories in Paris-Nice and Catalunya. Rather than waiting for July, Vingegaard has already shown his level in two major week-long stage races.
Catalunya dominance sets the tone for 2026 ambitions
Catalunya was the clearest example of that level. Vingegaard did not need to chase the race all week. He chose his moment on the key summit finish, rode away from the field and took the leader’s jersey, then followed it up with another stage win a day later to remove any suspense from the general classification.
That came after Paris-Nice, where he had already stamped his authority on the race. Taken together, the two victories have made him the standout Grand Tour rider of the early season. “He is in outstanding form, having convincingly won Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya,” Voigt added.
Jonas Vingegaard won two stages and the GC at the 2026 Volta a Catalunya
Giro-Tour plan reflects clear shift in strategy
Vingegaard’s decision to target both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France marks a notable shift from previous seasons, where his entire year was built around peaking for July.
“I understand why he has changed his plans this year and is lining up at the Italian Grand Tour,” Voigt said. “He wants to stand at the very top at the Tour de France and not be ‘just’ second again.”
For Vingegaard, the Giro now sits within a season that has already been built on control, climbing strength and back-to-back overall wins. The route to the Tour is different this year, but the results so far have only strengthened the sense that he is arriving there from a position of authority.
“He has a demanding programme ahead because he wants to triumph at the Giro d’Italia,” Voigt continued. “He is so consistent that he can finish right at the front at both the Giro and the Tour.”
A controlled build towards July
Paris-Nice and Catalunya have already shown what kind of shape Vingegaard is in. He has not needed to race wildly to dominate. He has simply been stronger when the road turned uphill and more decisive when the race reached its key moments.
With the Giro d’Italia set to provide the next test, the broader objective remains unchanged. Everything in Vingegaard’s 2026 season now points towards July, where the aim is no longer to compete, but to return to the top step of the Tour de France podium.
This is the kind of fix that was needed.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- As far as points go they need to take a page or ten out of the Astana playbook!Lozza13-11-2026
- Ah, seems he’s been busy elsewhere! 😆Lozza13-11-2026
- Where is he when you need him!? Wake up man! You’re missing an opportunity!Lozza13-11-2026
- A very true statement made by Johan Bruyneel: "We don’t know for sure about Jonas, because he dropped out of the Tour de France, but he would never have come close to Pogacar. Maybe he would have finished second. He won the Giro in dominant fashion and the Vuelta the year before, but Visma wants to win the Tour." That's exactly what I've been saying the last six months. If Pogi races with Jonas, the most he can be is second... UNLESS... Pogi crashes out or makes a BIG mistake, which is not likely to happen. Either Bruyneel thinks the way I do or he reads my posts. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans13-11-2026
- TADEJ POGAČAR !!! "Anatomy of a G.O.A.T." OK, that's great!!! I've been saying all along: Tadej Pogačar-Pogi is the G.O.A.T... period. Not only in cycling... but he's the greatest sportsman that ever lived !!! But let's take a look of what real foolishness looks like: We have many many fools, also on this site, saying that Pogi is "boring,"... he's making cycling "boring"??? I can't believe what's comming out of their deteriorating smelly mouths. So I guess Merckx, Hinault, Indurain, Fasto Coppi and Anquetil were also boring!?!? I guess Michael Jordan, Le Bron, Gretzky, Messi, Ronaldo, Shumacher, Novak Džoković, Federer, Rossi, Marquez, Phelps, Michaela Shiffrin, Venus Williams, Bolt, Lewis Hamilton... etc. were all boring. PS: Many cycling "fans" that think that way, have to get a brain scan. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans13-11-2026
- Ayuso has had enough time. He's always going to be a mediocre to good cyclist... nothing special or astonishing. But he does have many excuses, just like Remco, but Remco delivers good wins on occasions, Ayuso doesn't. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans13-11-2026
- I agree, Johan Bruyneel made big mistakes, he was involved in the biggest doping scandal in the history of sports... BUT NEVERTHELESS... Bruyneels analysis on bike racing and cyclists is among the best. That's a fact... period!!! I love listening to Spencer Martin and Johan on WEDU-THE MOVE PODCAST, but I don't care about Armstrong and Hincapie. They are both american bull shi***s who like to exaggerate and talk nonsense.PogiSloFans13-11-2026
- the headline is poorly written too. it makes it sound like their plan is to simply wait until he stops.mij13-11-2026
- It doesnt take a genius to understand that Pogi is 1 level above and Pogi is younger that Jonas, so Jonas will not win under ordinary circumstances. Pogi has to crack hard for Jonas to win. It doesn't matter whether you defend Jonas or not , facts remain facts. Jonas himself says his numbers are better than 2022/2023, so Jonas is more or less optimized and we are just see the stochastic variation due to other factors. I think he will retire along with Pedersen in WC denmarkabstractengineer13-11-2026
- They only raced each other during the 2026 Tour, but here's a few metrics to look at. Stage 3 (Granollers to Les Angles): Pogačar won the stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (2nd). Del Toro finished 24 seconds behind Stage 6 (Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre / Col du Tourmalet): Pogačar won solo, Vingegaard finished 2nd (losing 2:38), and Del Toro finished 3rd (at +2:57, finishing 19 seconds behind Vingegaard). Here, Jonas Vingegaard outclimbed Isaac del Toro by 19 seconds on the mountain stageawp13-11-2026
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