‘He’s a role model’: Piganzoli on Vingegaard’s influence during his rapid rise at Visma

After finishing 13th in 2024 and 14th in 2025, Davide Piganzoli broke new ground at the Giro d’Italia this season, finishing eighth overall, all while supporting Jonas Vingegaard to the pink jersey and five stage wins. The 24-year-old admitted his progression had exceeded expectations.

“I expected growth, but a gradual kind,” Piganzoli told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Instead, it was a major leap in quality, not just in terms of performance and results, but physically as well.”

Piganzoli credited Visma’s attention to detail when it comes to training, nutrition and equipment for helping him improve. 

But he also highlighted the influence of racing alongside some of the sport’s biggest stars, including Vingegaard, who messaged the Italian after his victory at the Skoda Tour de Luxembourg in September. 

“He [Vingegaard] messaged me to say that he was watching me during the Tour de Luxembourg. That really meant a lot to me. He’s a role model and an inspiration to me,” Piganzoli said before explaining why. 

"Jonas remains very calm within the group until the key moment of the competition arrives. Then, even if something goes wrong, he never stops believing in himself, the team, and what he has done to reach that point."

The Italian carried his excellent Giro form to the Route d’Occitanie in June when he won the final stage and sealed the GC in the process. Such was the impressive nature of his performances during this block of racing that Piganzoli was drafted in as the replacement for the injured Wout van Aert in Vingegaard’s supporting Tour de France cast. 

Despite Vingegaard crashing out during the second week, Piganzoli impressed in the third week in the Alps to finish 14th overall on his Tour debut. 

Rather than rest on his laurels with excellent performances in the bank, Piganzoli has continued to kick on since the Tour, winning a stage and the GC in Luxembourg, before most recently soloing to his first one-day victory and becoming the first Italian winner of the Giro dell’Emilia since Alessandro De Marchi in 2018. 

Next on the horizon is a date with the falling leaves in Lombardy on Saturday, with Piganzoli arriving on a high alongside his Visma teammates. 

"I’m feeling good. And the team is in great shape. At the Emilia, we placed three riders in the top five, with Tulett fourth and Jorgenson fifth. We’ll try to make our mark,” he said.

In the absence of Tadej Pogačar, who has won the previous five editions, Piganzoli, like many, expects a more open race on Saturday, as recent major events have shown, including the World and European Championships. 

"An open race, given Pogačar’s absence. But perhaps less chaotic than the World Championships, because there’s more elevation gain and the difficulty level is higher, which narrows down the list of favourites a bit,” he said. 

Italy are currently enduring their longest drought without victory at Il Lombardia, with Vincenzo Nibali the last Italian winner back in 2017, and the nation is still waiting for its next male Grand Tour winner following the Shark of Messina’s 2016 Giro triumph. 

Piganzoli believes the upcoming generation of Italian talent, including the likes of himself, Giulio Pellizzari and Lorenzo Finn, can aspire to reach the very top of the sport but shouldn't place too much pressure on their own shoulders.

"That’s a tough question. It’s no secret that Pellizzari and I are great friends. I met Finn in Canada; he’s a really good guy,” Piganzoli replied when asked who could be the next Italian Grand Tour winner. 

“It’s not up to us to decide, but you could say Italy is in good hands. The mistake would be piling pressure on ourselves, though I’m convinced all three of us will continue to grow."

Both Pellizzari and Finn are part of the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe stable, with the latter set to step up to the WorldTour from the development squad after an exceptional under-23 season which saw the 20-year-old win the Giro d’Italia Next Gen and the Tour de l’Avenir as world champion.

Piganzoli meanwhile will be looking to kick on with Visma after a standout debut campaign, and he was also asked if it was too soon to ask the question of leading the Dutch team in a Grand Tour. 

"No. But we’ll have to talk to the team and understand what their plans are. I have full confidence in them."