'My absolute power output is higher in a second Grand Tour' - Vingegaard reveals how Giro tilt could benefit Tour bid

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) has admitted that by riding the Giro d'Italia in May, he hopes his form will be even better than usual for the Tour de France, stating that “I've always noticed that my absolute power output is higher in a second Grand Tour."

Speaking to Sporza ahead of his season opener at Paris-Nice, Vingegaard outlined that his ambition for the race is to simply win, and defend the Dutch team's crown after Matteo Jorgenson's double success in 2024 and 2025.

"I'm here to win, otherwise I wouldn't be here," Vingegaard told Sporza. "That's actually my ambition every time I start a race."

"It's my first race of the year, so there's always some uncertainty about my form. I've had a good winter and worked well in training. But the other guys have already raced. They know better where they really stand," said Vingegaard.

The Dane was expected to begin his 2026 season at the UAE Tour, but he was ruled out after a training crash in Malaga before a spell of illness followed. 

The crash gained plenty of headlines due to the overenthusiasm of an amateur rider who followed Vingegaard closely down the descent where the Dane crashed. 

“In general, as a team we would like to urge fans on bikes to always put safety first. For both your own and others’ well being, please allow riders to train and give them as much space and peace as possible,” said Visma | Lease a Bike at the time in an official statement. 

Vingegaard reflected on the crash and illness that followed, suggesting that it hasn’t hampered his preparations significantly.

"They weren't actually that serious. It looked worse than it was. I was able to train again the next day, so it wasn't that bad. Of course, it's never pleasant to crash, but ultimately it didn't have much of an impact on me,” said Vingegaard.

"After that crash, I did get sick, which meant I had to change my plans a bit. But that wasn't such a big setback. My training went well, and I hope I'm in good shape. I'm ready to race," added the Dane.

Paris-Nice is the first part of building towards the bigger picture of the Giro d’Italia-Tour de France double, with Vingegaard targeting the Italian Grand Tour for the first time in his career. 

The Dane explained his rationale for taking a different approach for 2026 and highlighted how he hopes that having a Grand Tour in his legs already by the Tour comes around could benefit him. 

"I primarily wanted to try something different in the run-up to the Tour," said Vingegaard. “I've always noticed that my absolute power output is higher in a second Grand Tour. So maybe that's why I'll reach a higher level in the Tour now.”

Vingegaard won the Vuelta a España last Autumn, straight off the back of finishing 2nd at the Tour, and hopes that this approach of two Grand Tours will be a positive. Ultimately, though, he has ambitions of completing the Grand Tour set and becoming the eighth male rider to do so.

"I really want to go for the Giro win. I've already won the Tour and the Vuelta. So, of course, the Giro is a huge motivation for me. Not many riders have done that before me, so it would be great."

The Dane also brushed off suggestions that he wanted to avoid Tadej Pogačar, following the World Champion having the upper hand in the last two editions of the Tour. 

"Pogacar unbeatable? Analysts can say what they want. I'm not concerned with that. I'm focusing on my own plan," said Vingegaard.

Paris-Nice kicks off in Achères on March 8 and concludes after eight stages in Nice on March 15.