'The time has come' - Jonas Vingegaard targets Giro-Tour double in 2026

Jonas Vingegaard will make his Giro d’Italia debut in 2026 before taking on Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France in July. The Dane had repeatedly signalled his desire to ride the Giro this winter, and he has now confirmed that he will line up at the Grande Partenza in Bulgaria on May 8.

The 2026 Giro route was designed expressly to encourage riders to attempt the Giro-Tour double, and the reduced diet of climbing has convinced Vingegaard and his Visma | Lease a Bike team that he can combine the two races.

“I chose to ride the Giro because it’s one of the biggest races,” Vingegaard said in an in-house interview released by Visma | Lease a Bike. “I’ve never done the Giro yet. I wanted to do the Giro one year and now the time has come.”

Vingegaard will look to emulate Pogačar’s achievement of 2024, when the Slovenian became the first rider since the late Marco Pantani in 1998 to win the Giro and Tour in the same year. Riding the Giro marks a significant change for Vingegaard, who has focused squarely on the Tour in each of the past five seasons, never finishing lower than second overall.

“Over the past five years, my build-up to the Tour has been largely the same. This time we have chosen something new,” Vingegaard said. “The organisation has designed a great course for the Giro. Perhaps not as demanding as in recent years, which makes combining the Giro and the Tour a favourable option for us.”

A Giro debut presents Vingegaard with the opportunity to complete a full set of Grand victories after his wins at the Tour in 2022 and 2023 and his triumph at the 2025 Vuelta a España.

Vingegaard will line up as the favourite to win the Giro, though he will face stiff opposition from João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who placed second behind him at last year’s Vuelta, as well as from the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe tandem of Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari. Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel have both opted against riding the Giro in 2026.

Visma won the Giro in 2025 through Simon Yates, but the Briton surprisingly announced his retirement last week. Domestique understands that Visma had planned to withhold Yates from the Giro in order to keep him fresh for a key supporting role for Vingegaard at the Tour.

Vingegaard was adamant that riding the Giro would not dampen his ambition for the Tour, where he has never finished lower than second overall. He won the race in 2022 and 2023, but he was soundly beaten by Pogačar in the past two editions, and the Slovenian is the overwhelming favourite for this year’s race.

“Winning it for a third time would be incredible. Of course it will be difficult, though it may be more exciting than the past two editions,” Vingegaard said. “For me, a truly successful season still depends on winning the Tour. Celebrating another victory in Paris is something I continue to dream about.”

Vingegaard will start his 2026 season at the UAE Tour, and he will also ride the Volta a Catalunya ahead of the Giro. “I think that’s the best preparation for the Giro, I wanted to have some nice races before it,” he said.

While Vingegaard focuses on the Giro-Tour double attempt, Matteo Jorgenson and Wout van Aert will also make changes to their schedules in 2026.

Jorgenson will return to the Tour, but he will not race alongside Vingegaard until July. The American is set to skip the cobbled Classics in order to focus on the Ardennes, while he will forgo chasing a third straight Paris-Nice win in order to ride Tirreno-Adriatico. He will lead Visma at the Tour de Suisse ahead of the Tour.

Van Aert will again lead the line for Visma in the cobbled Classics, but he will race more often in March as he prepares for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. He will start his season at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and then ride Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo as preparation for the cobbled Classics. He will later ride the Critérium du Dauphiné before lining up at the Tour de France. 

“With Wout, we have returned to his traditional Classics approach,” said Visma Head of Racing Grischa Niermann. “He has never hidden the fact that he dreams of winning Paris-Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders. It would be wonderful for him, and for us, if he can fulfil that dream.”

Niermann also confirmed that Matthew Brennan would make his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta, where Van Aert will also feature. “The Vuelta allows us to give our youngsters the chance to pursue a strong result, without expecting too much from them straight away,” Niermann said.

Also read:

• Big changes for Matteo Jorgenson in 2026 race programme
• 'Unfinished business' - Van Aert changes Classics approach in 2026
• Brennan targets Classics and first Grand Tour test after breakthrough year
• Ferrand-Prévot embraces favourite status as Visma | Lease a Bike look ahead to 2026
• 'I've been close to burning out' - Vingegaard respects Simon Yates' retirement decision