It was a fitting end as the peloton rolled into Rome and rounded the Colosseum to close the 109th edition of the Giro d’Italia. Jonas Vingegaard, resplendent in the maglia rosa, had spent three weeks building up to this moment; 21 stages played out in front of roaring crowds to achieve one of the most elusive feats in cycling.
Vingegaard punched his ticket into one of the sport’s most exclusive clubs, one that eluded so many great riders over the years. He is only the eighth man in history to win all three Grand Tours, joining Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Froome.
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There was a degree of expectation that came with his debut Giro. He is one of two riders who command the Grand Tours, sitting head and shoulders above the competition. Vingegaard’s was much like Tadej Pogačar’s own victory in 2024, with simply lining up making the victory feel like a formality.
But the competition should not take away from the achievement. It seemed easy because he was that much better than everyone else, and Vingegaard is more than deserving of his spot among those other riders in the Grand Tour triple club. His battles against Pogačar have produced one of the best rivalries cycling has had for decades, and getting to this landmark before his Slovenian rival will keep Visma-Lease a Bike bosses happy even if Pogačar takes his fifth Tour win this summer.
While it looked like Vingegaard was holding back at times, he pulled out several emphatic climbing performances to cement his lead before the biggest display of his form came on the final mountain stage to Piancavallo, which would surely have set a few alarms going at UAE HQ.
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The ceremonial procession into Rome served as one final day for the sprinters, but for Vingegaard and the team it was job done. Vingegaard had won the Giro by over five minutes, winning five stages, leaving space for teammates Sepp Kuss and Davide Piganzoli to shine individually, and not burning too many matches before July’s big test.
He’ll be hoping that holds true and that this different schedule helps not hinders his Tour form, but if it’s not enough to topple Pogačar in the battle for the maillot jaune, Vingegaard has already secured a successful season and he’s already amassed one of the greatest careers in cycling history.