sports
Jonas Vingegaard targets Grand Tour slam as Giro d’Italia begins in Bulgaria
Double Tour de France winner makes his debut when race begins on Friday and is the outstanding favourite for victory in Rome
TL;DR
- Jonas Vingegaard is making his debut in the 2026 Giro d'Italia, starting in Bulgaria.
- He is the favorite to win the Giro, aiming for a rare Grand Tour grand slam (winning all three Grand Tours).
- Many of the world's best riders, including Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel, are skipping the Giro to focus on the Tour de France.
- Paul Seixas, a young French prodigy, is also absent, prioritizing his Tour de France debut.
- Vingegaard has shown good form recently, winning the 2025 Vuelta and Paris-Nice, and the Volta a Catalunya.
- The Giro's route includes significant climbing and five summit finishes, suiting Vingegaard's strengths.
- Netcompany Ineos, with new backing and AI integration, hopes to challenge, relying on Egan Bernal's consistency.
- Geraint Thomas, now director of racing for Netcompany Ineos, emphasizes the 'art' of racing beyond data.
- The race begins in Bulgaria, marking the 15th foreign start for the Giro, but has faced political unrest and team disputes.