The Japan Times - Vingegaard targets Giro d'Italia and Tour de France double

The Visma-Lease a Bike rider unveiled his schedule on Tuesday at his team's media day in Nucia, on Spain's Costa Blanca.

The two-time Tour de France champion added the Vuelta a Espana trophy to his collection of titles last year.

He will compete for the first time in the Giro from May 8-31, where he will be the overwhelming favourite in the absence of Slovenian Tadej Pogacar.

Vingegaard will then race the Tour de France from July 4-26. He won the Tour in 2022 and 2023 but will start this time as an outsider against two-time defending champion Pogacar.

"I have been thinking about riding the Giro for a while now," said the 29-year-old.

"It's one of the biggest races on the calendar and it's also one I have never done before. I really want to experience it, and now feels like the perfect moment.

"Winning the Vuelta last fall only gives me more motivation to go all-in for victory in Italy as well. I would love to add the pink jersey to my collection."

The Dane will begin his season on February 16 at the UAE Tour before also racing the Tour of Catalonia from March 23-29.

"Over the past five years, my build-up to the Tour has been largely the same. This time we have chosen something new," he said.

"The organisation has designed a great course for the Giro. Perhaps not as demanding as in recent years, which makes combining the Giro and the Tour a favourable option for us.”

Vingegaard will attempt to repeat Pogacar's feat of 2024, when the Slovenian won both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France.

At the Giro, won in 2025 by his former teammate Simon Yates, who announced his retirement last week, Vingegaard will have another objective: to become just the eighth rider to have won all three Grand Tours in his career.

Great rival Pogacar has won the Tour de France four times and the Giro once, but finished third during his only participation in Spain in 2019.

Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Froome are the seven riders to have won all three Grand Tours.

M.Ito--JT