Michael Valgren explains why he'd choose Giro d'Italia over Tour de France after Ineos transfer

Michael Valgren still dreams of winning a stage of the Tour de France in his career, but the Dane has admitted that he might be better served by prioritising the Giro d’Italia following his move from EF Education-EasyPost to Netcompany-Ineos. 

The 34-year-old Dane enjoyed a renaissance campaign in 2026, where he tasted two victories in Italy. His first came from the breakaway on stage 5 of Tirreno-Adriatico in June, marking his first win in over four and a half years. 

Valgren didn’t have to wait too long for the next victory to follow, as he claimed his maiden Grand Tour stage win in the final week of the Giro d’Italia. He outwitted his breakaway companions with a late attack before the flamme rouge. 

After clocking up his ninth lap around France in July, Netcompany-Ineos announced the signing of Valgren in October on a two-year deal, bringing to an end his six year spell with EF.

In a recent interview with TV2, reflecting on his move to the British team, Valgren opened up about his Grand Tour ambitions ahead of 2027. 

While he, like any rider, would love to win a stage of the Tour, he admitted that there might be a better opportunity for more individual success at the Giro. 

"I’ve ridden nine [Tours de France] now, and I would love to win a stage. But I’ve tried nine times, and it hasn’t happened yet. So, I’d rather ride the Giro than the Tour,” Valgren told TV2. 

"There’s a slightly better chance that a breakaway will make it to the finish, allowing you to win a stage or achieve a good result,” he added. 

The Dane also highlighted how the competition for places within the Ineos ranks for not only Tour selection, but for individual stage hunting opportunities, could be a deciding factor in which Grand Tour he races next season.

"The Tour is so big and so difficult; I’m perhaps not quite good enough there to get my own opportunity, especially not while riding for Ineos,” Valgren said.

Having made his Tour debut in 2015 as part of the Tinkoff-Saxo team supporting Alberto Contador’s GC ambitions, and in his ninth appearance this year with the stage-hunting machine that is EF Education-EasyPost, Valgren’s relationship with the race has taken a different perspective over time.

Speaking as a guest on the Domestique Hotseat podcast during the first rest day of this year's Tour alongside Ben Healy, Valgren referenced the fact that he was increasingly conscious of making the most of his remaining appearances at the race.

“I don’t think I’ll be doing many more Tours de France in my career, so I told myself that I’m really going to try and enjoy this year,” Valgren said on the Domestique Hotseat. 

Part of that enjoyment, Valgren explained, comes from the unique atmosphere that the Tour creates through the spectators, with the Danish supporters in particular providing a familiar source of encouragement throughout the race.

“I think the fans here at the Tour are always spectacular. We have these Danish fans who make this ‘Danish corner’ basically on almost every stage, and they’re handing out this really nice soda on those corners, and I just really enjoy those moments when I pass these Danish guys,” Valgren said.