Jonas Vingegaard wins the Giro d'Italia to become the eighth rider in history to complete the Grand Tour triple
The Danish rider secured his first Giro d'Italia title in Rome on Sunday, adding the pink jersey to his Tour de France and Vuelta a España victories and achieving the feat before his great rival Tadej Pogačar.
A coronation in Rome
Jonas Vingegaard rolled across the finish line in Rome on Sunday to officially win the 109th edition of the Giro d'Italia, completing the set of all three Grand Tours. The final 21st stage, a 131-kilometre circuit around the Italian capital, was won in a sprint by local favourite Jonathan Milan, but the day belonged to the Dane in the pink jersey. Vingegaard finished with a comfortable margin of 5 minutes and 22 seconds over Austrian Felix Gall, with Australia's Jai Hindley a further 1 minute and 3 seconds back in third.
I don't see myself riding past the age of 35. I'm turning 30, so that's still a while away. Also, I don't see myself changing teams. I even expect to finish my career with this team.
The eighth member of an exclusive club
With this victory, Vingegaard becomes only the eighth rider in cycling history to win all three Grand Tours. He joins an illustrious list that includes Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, and Chris Froome. The achievement is made sweeter by the fact that he has reached the milestone before his great rival Tadej Pogačar, who has won the Tour de France and the Giro but still lacks a Vuelta title.
Dominance in the mountains
Vingegaard's overall victory was built on an unassailable performance in the high mountains. He claimed five stage wins during the three-week race, all of them on mountain finishes. The only other rider to win a summit finish at this year's Giro was his own teammate, Sepp Kuss. Vingegaard took the pink jersey on stage 14 and never relinquished it, holding it for the final eight days of racing.
- Giro d'Italia begins; Vingegaard starts as top favourite.
- Vingegaard takes the pink jersey on stage 14 and never relinquishes it.
- Vingegaard wins his fifth mountain stage at Piancavallo, confirming his dominance.
- Final stage in Rome; Vingegaard is crowned Giro champion as Jonathan Milan wins the sprint.
French successes: Magnier and Rondel shine
While the general classification belonged to Vingegaard, French riders also had reason to celebrate. Paul Magnier won the cyclamen jersey for the points classification, adding it to three sprint stage victories. He becomes the fourth Frenchman to win the points jersey at the Giro, following Laurent Jalabert, Nacer Bouhanni, and Arnaud Démare. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Mathys Rondel finished as the highest-placed French rider in 11th place overall, a promising result in his first Grand Tour.
Looking ahead to the Tour de France
Attention now turns to the summer, where Vingegaard and Pogačar are expected to renew their rivalry at the 113th Tour de France, starting on 4 July with the Grand Départ in Barcelona. The race will also be a test for emerging talents such as Germany's Florian Lipowitz, third in last year's Tour, and French prospect Paul Seixas, who will aim to challenge the two superstars.
