Jonas Vingegaard completed his Giro d’Italia triumph on Sunday, securing the first part of a coveted Grand Tour double in a procession finale around Rome won by home hero Jonathan Milan.
Vingegaard rolled into the Italian capital needing just to complete the flat final stage to claim overall victory and the triple crown of road cycling’s three-week showpieces.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider is just the eighth man to win the Giro, Tour de France and Vuelta a España in his career, joining Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Vincenzo Nibali in reaching one of road cycling’s hardest goals. His attentions now turn to the Tour in July and a showdown with Tadej Pogacar, road cycling’s biggest star and his key rival for the Grande Boucle.
Vingegaard, already a two-time Tour winner, did not have Pogacar to contend with on the Giro, which he won without ever really looking like being challenged. The 29-year-old had little to do on Sunday beyond look at the ancient monuments of Rome’s historic centre after finishing the hard work with a classic mountain stage win the day before.
He finished the Giro with five stage wins and a gap of five minutes and 22 seconds over Felix Gall, who completed his best placing in a Grand Tour.
“Winning all three is very special for me, it’s difficult to find the words to describe it,” Vingegaard told the Italian broadcaster RAI. Vingegaard added he would stay in Rome for a few days with his family before returning to Denmark to begin preparations for the Tour de France.
“It all depends on how you come out of the Giro,” said Vingegaard. “If you’re completely exhausted and need two weeks of rest afterwards, it’s not ideal. But I’m not completely exhausted.”
For Milan, crossing the line first in Rome after a typically powerful late burst salvaged his Giro, the Italian winning his first stage of this year’s edition of his home Grand Tour. Milan has had a difficult Giro and couldn’t stop Paul Magnier winning the points jersey for the sprinters.