‘Something I’ve been dreaming of’ - Vingegaard takes Giro pink but says Tour de France remains cycling’s biggest prize

The Dane crossed the line 48 seconds ahead of Gall, with Jai Hindley third at 56 seconds. Davide Piganzoli finished fourth after a remarkable final climb in service of his leader, while Giulio Pellizzari completed the top five.

Vingegaard now leads the Giro by 2:26 over Eulálio, with Gall third at 2:50, but he was quick to push back against the idea that stage 14 had effectively decided the race.

“I would say that’s not true,” Vingegaard said when asked whether he had won the Giro as well as the stage. “There are still three very hard mountain stages in the last week, so for sure it’s not over yet. Everybody can have a bad day. We just need to keep the focus and keep fighting for this beautiful jersey.

“As I said, it would be a dream for me to take this jersey into Rome.”

The win was Vingegaard’s third of his debut Giro, following earlier victories on Blockhaus on stage 7 and Corno alle Scale on stage 9. 

Yet the stage to Pila appeared to carry a different emotional weight, both because of the way Visma controlled the race and because it delivered the Dane into pink for the first time.

Speaking after the line, Vingegaard was clear that this was the victory that would stay with him.

“I think this one is the one I will remember the most,” he said. “Today we made a plan from the start with the team and we wanted to control the race, and that’s what my teammates did. They did an incredible job the whole day. It was really impressive how they rode, and I’m so proud of my teammates and I’m proud that I can pay them back. It’s a super nice win.”

In the press conference, Vingegaard described the maglia rosa as one of cycling’s most special jerseys and said wearing it had been a childhood dream.

“I think the pink jersey is one of the most special ones in cycling, and it’s something I’m really happy with," he said. It’s a special jersey and it’s something I’ve been dreaming of. I think a lot of young guys, young kids are dreaming of having a pink jersey, so it is really special for me and for the team.”

Asked to compare the feeling with wearing yellow at the Tour de France or red at the Vuelta a España, Vingegaard was diplomatic but honest.

“Obviously, without saying anything bad about the Giro, I think the biggest one is the Tour,” he said. “But for me, the second biggest one is the Giro. It is special and I feel it’s special. It’s something that I really wanted.”

Visma’s plan was clear from the start of the stage. The team took responsibility on the opening climb and steadily increased the pressure throughout the day, keeping the breakaway under control before dismantling the GC group on the final ascent.

“The plan was actually exactly how we executed it,” Vingegaard said. “We made a plan and we said we are going to pace on the first climb, and from there we just go faster and faster. That’s basically what we did.”

The most decisive work came from Piganzoli, who took over on the final climb and reduced the lead group almost entirely by himself. Vingegaard said the Italian’s effort reminded him of the kind of mountain support that has defined some of his biggest Grand Tour performances.

“It was very similar,” Vingegaard said when Piganzoli’s effort was compared to Wout van Aert’s famous pull on Hautacam in the 2022 Tour de France. “Already when he was riding, he made a gap to almost all of my competitors, so I almost didn’t have to attack anymore. That was obviously nice."

"I’m happy with how he’s riding, but also with how the rest of my teammates are riding. It was super impressive. They were really strong today and they’re also super motivated. It makes me proud how they were riding today, and I’m happy that I can pay it off.”

Vingegaard eventually made his move with 4.5km remaining, leaving Gall unable to follow. While the gap grew quickly, the Dane dismissed the suggestion that he had looked comfortable in the closing kilometres.

“Of course you go all the way to the finish,” he said. “It’s a hard climb, it’s a hard day, so I think everybody is on the limit in the end. I also went to my limit.”