“Visma haven't pulled for 10 minutes in this Giro yet” - UAE's Mikkel Bjerg puts spotlight on reserved tactics of Jonas Vingegaard and co

Mikkel Bjerg has put fresh focus on Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s cautious Giro d’Italia strategy, with the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider pointing out how little work Jonas Vingegaard’s squad have done on the front despite the Dane’s status as the overwhelming favourite for overall victory.

Visma remain in a near ideal position after the opening half of the race. Vingegaard sits within touching distance of Afonso Eulalio’s Maglia Rosa, has already won two stages, and has avoided taking on the full responsibility of controlling the Giro while Bahrain - Victorious continue to defend the leader’s jersey.

For Bjerg, speaking after Jhonatan Narvaez delivered UAE’s fourth stage win of the race on Stage 11, that balance has been one of the defining tactical details of the Giro so far.

“There is a bit of a feeling that Vingegaard is a huge, huge, huge favourite,” Bjerg told Eurosport Denmark. “Visma have not pulled for 10 minutes in this Giro yet, and now we are halfway through.”

Vingegaard moved to within 27 seconds of Eulalio after the Stage 10 time trial, but he did not take pink. That has left Bahrain Victorious with the daily responsibility of defending the jersey, while Visma remain close enough to strike without carrying the race on their shoulders.

Bjerg suggested that dynamic has not gone unnoticed inside the peloton. “I think there are some teams who expect that soon it should also be Visma who take some responsibility,” he said. “But Bahrain obviously have the leader’s jersey, and historically speaking they are also the ones who have to defend, even though Jonas is on course to win the race overall.”

That is where the tension sits. On paper, Vingegaard is still the rider most expected to win the Giro. In practice, Visma have been able to let other teams work while choosing their own moments.

For rival teams, that can look like avoidance. From Visma’s perspective, it may simply be efficient Grand Tour racing.

Bjerg did not frame Visma’s approach as a mistake. If anything, his comments underlined how effective their restraint has been. “They get it absolutely spot on every time,” he said. “They ride really, really well, but also in a calculating way.”

That calculated approach has already paid off. Vingegaard has taken both summit finishes so far, while Visma have avoided spending long periods controlling stages when they have not needed to. The result is a race where their leader is extremely close to pink, but the team has not yet been forced into full defensive mode.

Bjerg pointed to the way Visma have been able to save energy before launching decisive moves. “When they then move to the front and make an action, like the other day when Piganzoli finished third, they just have the level,” he said. “But also, when they have been able to save a bit of ammunition, they can really make an action. It is really impressive to see, also on TV.”

Bjerg’s comments came on another successful day for UAE. Narvaez won Stage 11 in Chiavari, beating Enric Mas in a two-up finish to take his third victory of the race. UAE now have four stage wins at this Giro, continuing a remarkable turnaround after their original GC plans were hit early.

Bjerg himself played a key role in helping set up the day. UAE initially missed the breakaway, while Narvaez was being heavily marked by Soudal - Quick-Step, who were protecting Paul Magnier’s points jersey.

“We missed the breakaway a bit at the start, and Johnny was being marked a bit man-to-man by Quick-Step,” Bjerg said. “Every time he tried on the flat, there was a Quick-Step rider who closed it down.”

That forced UAE to change the shape of the stage and keep the race together until the first climb. “So we decided to keep it together until the climb,” Bjerg explained. “That was something we had spoken about, that it could become a possibility if we did not make the move. So I was allowed to sit and pull for those 13 or 14 kilometres towards the first climb.”

Stage 11 also brought another challenge, with Bjerg noting that the heat had started to hit the bunch properly for the first time in the race. “This is the first day where the heat has really set in,” he said. “Your body reacts a bit differently when it is really hot. When you explode the first time, it is just hard to come back again, because your body temperature is so high. You are just cooked.”

For UAE, the day still ended with another win. For Visma, it ended with their broader strategy still under the microscope. The Dutch team have not yet needed to dominate the race from the front, and Bjerg’s comments show that the rest of the peloton has noticed.

The question for the second half of the Giro is how long that balance can last. Bahrain still have pink, Vingegaard still looks like the strongest favourite, and Visma still appear to be saving as much as possible for the moments that matter most.