Jonas Vingegaard has two Tour de France titles. He won the Vuelta a España last September. But there’s one trophy missing from his collection—and he’s made it clear he wants it more than a third yellow jersey.
“If I could win only one more race, I’d choose the Giro,” the Dane told reporters recently. That’s not hyperbole. He reportedly has a deal in place to make his Giro d’Italia debut in May 2026.
If he wins, he joins the most exclusive club in cycling history.
The Seven Who’ve Done It
Only seven riders have ever won all three Grand Tours—the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España. Here’s the complete list:
- Jacques Anquetil (France) — First to complete the triple, 1963
- Felice Gimondi (Italy) — 1968
- Eddy Merckx (Belgium) — 1973
- Bernard Hinault (France) — 1983
- Alberto Contador (Spain) — 2008
- Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) — 2014
- Chris Froome (Great Britain) — 2018
That’s it. Seven names across 60+ years of Grand Tour racing. The gap between Hinault (1983) and Contador (2008) stretched 25 years. Froome completed his set only six years ago, but no one has joined the club since.
Vingegaard could be number eight.
Why the Giro Matters So Much
The Giro d’Italia isn’t just another race. It’s historically the most unpredictable Grand Tour—brutal mountain stages, chaotic weather, and a peloton willing to attack from kilometer zero.
The Tour de France rewards consistency and team strength. The Vuelta favors late-season form and aggressive racing. But the Giro? The Giro breaks favorites. It humbles champions. It creates legends out of riders who’d never win in France.
Vingegaard has dominated the Tour and conquered the Vuelta. The Giro is the final test—and he knows it.
“Winning the three Grand Tours or the Tour de France in 2026? I think I’d prefer to win all three Grand Tours,” he told DH Les Sports+. The statement landed like a declaration of intent.
The Numbers Behind His Dominance
Since finishing 46th at his Grand Tour debut (2020 Vuelta), Vingegaard has never placed lower than second in any three-week race. Read that again. In eight Grand Tours, his worst result was runner-up.
His record:
- 2021 Tour de France: 2nd
- 2022 Tour de France: 1st
- 2023 Tour de France: 1st
- 2024 Tour de France: 2nd (after serious crash at Itzulia)
- 2025 Vuelta a España: 1st
The 2026 Giro will be his ninth Grand Tour. Based on trajectory alone, he enters as the overwhelming favorite—especially with Tadej Pogačar reportedly skipping Italy this year.
The Pogačar Factor
Here’s what makes this interesting: Pogačar wants the same thing.
The Slovenian superstar has won the Tour three times and the Giro once (2024). He’s missing only the Vuelta. Both riders are racing to complete the triple first.
If Vingegaard wins the 2026 Giro, he beats Pogačar to the milestone. Given their fierce rivalry, that detail isn’t lost on anyone in the peloton.
Pogačar is expected to focus on defending his Tour title in July rather than returning to Italy. That opens a window Vingegaard intends to exploit.
The Risk of Racing Two Grand Tours
Vingegaard’s 2026 plan isn’t without danger. He reportedly intends to race both the Giro (May) and Tour de France (July)—a grueling double that has broken many riders before him.
The Giro-Tour double demands near-perfect recovery. Three weeks of racing in Italy, barely six weeks of rest, then three more weeks in France. Accumulated fatigue becomes a silent enemy.
Some argue he should skip the Tour entirely and chase history at the Giro. Others believe the double is achievable for a rider of his caliber. Visma-Lease a Bike management has expressed confidence in the plan, noting that the Tour’s mountainous third week suits Vingegaard’s strengths even if he arrives slightly fatigued.
The counterargument? Chris Froome completed the Vuelta-Giro double in 2017-2018 while maintaining Tour form. Hinault won three consecutive Grand Tours in 1982-83. It’s been done before—just not often.
What the Giro Route Looks Like
The 2026 Giro d’Italia starts in Bulgaria—an unusual Grande Partenza that adds travel complications before the race even reaches Italian soil. From there, the route promises the usual Giro chaos: steep Alpine climbs, unpredictable weather windows, and stages designed to shatter the peloton.
For a climber of Vingegaard’s ability, the terrain should favor him. But the Giro has a way of punishing overconfidence. Mechanical failures, crashes, illness, and bad luck have derailed favorites countless times.
Vingegaard enters as the betting favorite. Whether he leaves with the maglia rosa remains cycling’s most compelling storyline of 2026.
The Bigger Picture
Vingegaard turns 30 in December 2026. He’s entering his prime years with an opportunity to cement his legacy among cycling’s immortals.
Two Tour wins already place him in elite company. A Vuelta title adds depth. But the Grand Tour triple? That’s a different conversation entirely. That’s Merckx territory. Hinault territory. The kind of achievement that defines a career.
Visma-Lease a Bike’s team presentation on January 13 should provide final confirmation of Vingegaard’s race calendar. Until then, all signs point toward Italy in May.
The chase for number eight begins soon.
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