"Vingegaard certainly chose to debut at the right time" - Vincenzo Nibali supports Visma leader's choice to do Giro-Tour

Jonas Vingegaard has been known for several months to have been considering the choice to race both Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in 2026. This is now confirmed and is a fully organized project within Team Visma | Lease a Bike, supported by Vincenzo Nibali, one of the few riders that has a palmarès of the level of the Dane.

“It's too early to say, but Vingegaard certainly chose to debut at the right time, after winning the Vuelta in addition to the two Tours," NIbali said in words to Gazzetta dello Sport. "And the Giro, compared to the Spanish race, is better suited to him".

Vingegaard has never raced the Giro throughout his career surprisingly. He's raced the Vuelta a España on three occasions and has done every Tour de France since 2021, but his focus on the French Grand Tour has played a role in his absence from the Italian race.

However whereas in the past he believed that a Giro presence would hamper his Tour, that is now no longer the case. He has ridden the Vuelta two times after the Tour de France over his career, with a very high level in both; and in 2024 Tadej Pogacar rode the double to perfection, winning GC and six stages in both.

Hence, the decision was made to try and complete the Grand Tour trilogy for the Visma rider, who will have a more modest startlist at the Giro; and potentially head into the Tour already without the pressure.

Nibali, a winner of the Giro in both 2013 and 2016, is perfectly aware of the challenges that the Corsa Rosa presents, and how they compare to the Vuelta a España which Vingegaard has just won now back in September.

“The main reason lies in the technical characteristics of the Giro's climbs. They're less 'explosive' than those of the Vuelta, which are tough, but generally not as long as the Italian ones," he says as a strong argument for Vingegaard's presence.

Although in the 'Shark of Messina's opinion, the 2025 route suited the Dane even better. "In the last week this year, there are at least three long stages with perfect climbs for Vingegaard".

Aside from that, it is also a necessary change for Vingegaard, who has for many years now had his calendar revolve around the Tour de France as the absolute goal, and following the same structure always in the months leading up to it. With Tadej Pogacar beating him strongly over the past two seasons, there was little reason to replicate the formula once again.

“The change of schedule will give him new motivation, and that's normal. An athlete can't always repeat the same pattern and benefits from breaking out of what becomes a routine," Nibali argues. "Therefore, it can help him ahead of the Tour. And if he manages to win the Giro, he might be more mentally free to challenge Tadej".

However thinking of Vingegaard going head-to-head with Pogacar at the World Championships, at the level that he show off in Grand Tours, is still an image that is rather distant for the Italian. "I don't think so. Both Vingegaard and Tadej are looking first at themselves, at their own path. And rightly so," he concluded.