Jonas Vingegaard, in photos provided by the Giro organization.
/ GIRO D’ITALIA
Beyond the Dolomites – where scenery makes the Giro surpass the Tour – and the legendary status of a race built by Italian icons like Costante Girardengo (whom Mussolini despised for the ‘maglia rosa’ not being masculine enough), Alfredo Binda, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi, and more recently Vincenzo Nibali, the Italian tour kicks off this Friday in Bulgaria (no mistake, it’s not a new transalpine region). It presents itself as a paved garden for the only rider with true credentials to win in Rome (May 8-31): Jonas Vingegaard.
If the Danish star achieves the challenge (broadcast daily on Eurosport), he will finally accomplish what Tadej Pogacar has not yet done: winning all three Grand Tours. Vingegaard already has two Tours and a Vuelta under his belt. The Slovenian phenomenon still needs the Spanish tour, which he raced in 2019 finishing third, but has not returned since (unlikely this year), and is expected to aim for 2027. The rest of the contenders resemble boxing sparring partners: athletes built to take
