"Visma isn't going to do everything they can" - Analyst thinks Jonas Vingegaard's team won't target decisive Giro stage win

Jonas Vingegaard and Team Visma | Lease a Bike are heading into stage 14 as favourites to take the lead at the Giro d'Italia. With a brutal day of climbing on the way to Pila, general classification is set for a shake-up by Saturday evening.

With Afonso Eulalio attempting to defend his pink jersey, Vingegaard and other podium contenders Felix Gall and Thymen Arensman circling in a stage that features multiple steep climbs. Breakaway specialists will also be salivating at the chance to get up the road and fight for stage honours - making it all the more intriguing.

The fight for the breakaway will define how Saturday's stage is raced. Riders immediately hit a 15.7 kilometer climb from kilometer 0 that will mean the best climbers looking to get ahead have a real chance. And in breakaway formation, Team Visma - Lease a Bike have a decision to make.

"They are naturally going to ride at the front right away and set a very tough pace so they don't get attacked," Belgian Eurosport commentator Jeroen Vanbelleghem said on Kop over Kop.

Despite backing the Dutch team to set a hard pace, Vanbellegham believes climbers not a danger to Vingegaard can form a breakaway. He added: "The best climbers who aren't going for the general classification are gone there."

Decathlon CMA CGM and Felix Gall controlled stage 9, which featured a climb to the finish. The Austrian attacked and shuck off all but Vingegaard before the Dane attacked him to win the stage. Vanbelleghem thinks the tactic was effective when considering Gall's focus on the podium.

Vanbelleghem said: "Gall wants to make up places again. If Gall feels good, I think those guys from Decathlon will ride along too. His goal is the podium. People will think: how stupid are they, riding with Visma? But you shouldn't forget that Gall is focused on the podium, not the stage. He isn't riding against Vingegaard, because he knows he is better. If you look at it that way, they are riding well."

When it comes to Vingegaard's stage ambitions, the commentator doesn't believe that Team Visma | Lease a Bike will go all-in for the stage, claiming that they could be happy to allow other teams to carry the burden of controlling the day - which too could also increase Vingegaard's chances.

"Vingegaard actually wants to win, I think, but Visma isn't going to do everything they can to make that happen," Vanbelleghem said.

He added: "There will be other teams that want to do that. I don't think it depends on Visma whether they will win the stage. We saw that at Corno alle Scale [Stage 9], when Decathlon ensured that Visma could win the stage. I see that happening again on Saturday."