"You definitely have to be up there" - Away from the mountains, Jonas Vingegaard recognizes the danger of Giro's stage 8

Jonas Vingegaard has already stamped his authority on the 2026 Giro d’Italia. The Dane claimed his first stage win at the corsa rosa on Blockhaus and woke up before stage 8 in the maglia azzurra as mountains leader and with his GC position strengthened. Calm, smiling and steering clear of euphoria, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider admitted he is in an ideal place in the race.

“I’m in a very good position right now,” he told Cycling Pro Net before the start of stage 8. “Very good in the GC, great. I also have the mountains jersey, which is very nice and something that makes me happy.”

Friday’s exhibition on Blockhaus confirmed Vingegaard has arrived at this Giro with the legs to fight for the win. The Dane dropped all of his rivals, and took a prestigious victory on one of Italy’s most emblematic climbs - the Blockhaus.

However, far from relaxing after laying down a marker, the two-time Tour winner made clear that stage eight hides more danger than it appears on paper.

“It’s a tricky day,” Vingegaard said before the start. “You definitely have to be up there and play it safe.” The stage features several shorter climbs, but the summit finish to Fermo features a 22% ascent which the GC men will be well aware of.

The mountains classification leader, departing from Chieti this morning in blue, also acknowledged that the route does not suit his characteristics especially well and expects attacking moves from other teams in a tense, open stage. “I’m curious to see what the other teams are going to do,” he noted. “Maybe it’s not the stage that suits me best.”

One of the most closely watched names in the bunch is Giulio Ciccone, a local rider who knows these roads inside out. Asked about the threat the Italian could pose, Vingegaard did not hesitate to mark him as a rider to watch.

“If he’s from here, he knows all the roads,” he joked. “I’m sure he’s going to try something.”