Could Jonas Vingegaard Ride the Giro in 2025?
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The big debate coming out of the uber-exciting Vuelta a España was whether Grand Tour racing was more exciting without its two biggest and strongest stars, Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard.
Well, it goes without saying that both will be racing in the Tour de France in 2025. But will we see either (or both) in another Grand Tour next year?
According to reports by Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport and Belgian site Het Laatste Nieuws, it’s looking like the Danish superstar Vingegaard is seriously considering trying his hand at the Giro-Tour double next season, just as his rival Pogačar did this year.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, “Vingegaard would like to make his Giro debut and the team are seriously considering the idea.”
Meanwhile, Het Laatste Nieuws writes that Vingegaard, “reportedly indicated internally that he would like to ride the Giro.”
At this point, Visma-Lease a Bike is steadfastly refusing any rumors of Vingegaard going for the double.
Speaking with Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet, Visma’s communications manager Sander Kleikers said, “I really don't know where it comes from. It certainly does not come from our team. We haven't even started the evaluation of this season. I don't know where it comes from. It is very surprising.”
Of course, this could just be some very inventive promotional tactics at play—telling the truth before it happens” in marketing speak—as the Gazzetta dello Sport is owned by RCS Sport, who organize the Giro.
And it wouldn’t be the first time RCS took aim at the sport’s biggest stars.
In fact, it’s believed that this year’s course saw a major reduction in elevation, presumably in an effort to goad Tadej Pogačar to try his hand at what is widely considered as the most difficult of the three Grand Tours.
But money talks where gradients don’t, which is why RCS sweetened the deal by reportedly paying Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates more than half-a-million Euros to guarantee his inclusion in the Giro, amongst other RCS-organized races.
In the end, it worked out for everyone. RCS got their superstar and Tadej Pogačar won six Giro stages on route to an overall win, his first maglia rosa. A few months later, he became the first rider to win the coveted Giro/Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998
While it’s unlikely that Vingegaard could pull off the double, given the rarity of the feat, it’s hardly out of the question. In fact, if Vingegaard has shown anything over the last three years, it’s that he’s currently the only man on Earth capable of beating Pogačar over a three-week race. And if he performed as well as he did in this year’s Tour de France, coming off a horrific injury, just imagine what he might do with a few months of rest, recovery, and training.
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