“The team would like me to become a GC leader” - Jonas Vingegaard’s mountain weapon faces huge Giro d’Italia test as Visma plan takes shape
Cycling
Davide Piganzoli came to the Giro d’Italia to work for Jonas Vingegaard. Across the first two weeks, he has already become one of Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s most valuable mountain pieces.
Stage 14 now gives him the hardest test yet. The route stacks Saint-Barthelemy, Doues, Lin Noir and Verrogne before the final climb to Pila, turning the day into a repeated climbing examination rather than a simple summit-finish shootout.
Vingegaard remains 33 seconds behind Afonso Eulalio in the fight for pink, with Thymen Arensman still close enough to keep Visma alert.
After days of scrutiny around Vingegaard’s time trial and confirmation from the team that illness had affected their camp, Visma’s climbing depth comes back into focus. Piganzoli is central to that.
Piganzoli learning from Vingegaard
The 23-year-old Italian has already been prominent in Vingegaard’s Giro campaign. He helped launch his leader on Stage 2, worked strongly on Blockhaus, and was still there deep enough on Stage 9 to finish third behind Vingegaard after Visma controlled the finale.
Speaking to In de Leiderstrui, Piganzoli made clear that his Giro is about service, but also development. “I am here as a helper for Jonas, but of course I also want to learn as much as possible from him,” Piganzoli said. “He is our big GC rider, so I am very happy to learn a lot from him. In the future, the team would like me to become a GC leader for the team, so this Giro is really beautiful.”
Piganzoli had already carried GC responsibilities before joining Visma, but his first months alongside Vingegaard have brought a different level of reference point. “I can learn almost everything from him,” he added. “That already started at altitude on Teide, where I really saw how he prepares for a Grand Tour like the Giro. Jonas is rarely stressed and is very relaxed, even when the days are hard.”
Jonas Vingegaard during the 2026 Giro d'Italia
A brutal day for Visma’s mountain train
Stage 14 should demand more than one final-climb acceleration. The early Saint-Barthelemy climb puts fatigue in the legs, before Doues, Lin Noir and Verrogne keep the pressure high ahead of Pila.
That kind of route suits a rider like Piganzoli. His job may involve holding position, covering moves, setting tempo, or keeping Vingegaard protected before the final climb even begins. On a day of repeated ascents, the work before Pila could matter as much as the final kilometres.
Piganzoli said Vingegaard has also taken time to guide him directly during their first months together. “Then he sometimes takes me aside to explain something new,” he said. “For me, that is really nice. He is very important for me.”
For Visma, Stage 14 arrives at a crucial moment. Eulalio still has pink, Vingegaard needs to start turning pressure into time, and the race is finally back on terrain where his team can use its climbing structure properly.
Piganzoli’s confidence in that environment is clear. “The equipment, the Foodcoach... I am in the right place in the peloton,” he said.
Now comes a day built for climbers, control and endurance. For Vingegaard, it is a chance to move closer to pink. For Piganzoli, it is another step in a Giro where he is riding for the present while Visma quietly build for the future.
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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