Jonas Vingegaard won the 2026 Giro d'Italia at his first attempt. He won five stages, took the pink jersey on stage 14 and finished in Rome on 31 May with a 5:22 lead over Felix Gall. The win made him only the eighth rider ever to win all three Grand Tours – and the first Dane. This is the full story of Jonas Vingegaard's 2026 Giro d'Italia, stage by stage.
Jonas Vingegaard at the 2026 Giro d'Italia: a debut as favourite
The Giro was the one Grand Tour he had never ridden. In 2026 he skipped the UAE Tour, opened his season at Paris–Nice and the Volta a Catalunya instead and won both, so he arrived at the start in Bulgaria on 8 May as the clear favourite. Jai Hindley, Giulio Pellizzari, Egan Bernal and Adam Yates were named among the challengers.
Sepp Kuss and new signing Davide Piganzoli were his key helpers in the mountains. Back home in Glyngøre, DR reported, the town had turned pink before the race even started, and the Italian press nicknamed him "Re Pescatore" – the Fisher King – after his old job at a fish factory in Hanstholm.
Bulgaria and Eulálio in pink
The first three stages were held in Bulgaria. Vingegaard tried an attack as early as stage 2 to Veliko Tarnovo, but the group came back together and Guillermo Thomas Silva of Uruguay won the sprint. Then came the first big twist on stage 5 to Potenza: Portugal's Afonso Eulálio got into the breakaway, finished second on the stage and took the pink jersey with a lead of 6:22 over Vingegaard. Eulálio, seen as the breakthrough rider of the race, kept pink for nine days.
Blockhaus and Corno alle Scale: the first stage wins
Vingegaard's first answer came on stage 7 from Formia to Blockhaus on 15 May, where he won and moved up to second overall. Two days later, on stage 9 from Cervia to Corno alle Scale, he won again and took more time out of Eulálio. English Wikipedia lists several of his climbing times at this Giro, such as 39:05 up Blockhaus, as new records, but these are unofficial comparisons rather than official records.
The disappointing stage 10 time trial
After the first rest day came a long time trial from Viareggio to Massa on 19 May. It went badly: he was 13th, about three minutes slower than stage winner Filippo Ganna and, more importantly, 1:06 slower than GC rival Thymen Arensman. It is described as a disappointing day – more on our time trial page. He stayed second overall, with Eulálio still in pink as the race reached the Alps.
Pila and Carì: taking the pink jersey
The decisive day was stage 14 from Aosta to Pila on 23 May. Vingegaard rode away alone, won by more than 40 seconds from Felix Gall and took the pink jersey, which he kept to Rome. After the last rest day he also won stage 16 from Bellinzona to Carì, a stage held entirely in Switzerland. On the queen stage, stage 19 to Alleghe, the team let a breakaway go and Sepp Kuss won it himself, while Vingegaard was fifth and controlled his rivals. Earlier that week another Dane, Michael Valgren, had won stage 17 to Andalo.
Visma | Lease a Bike dominated: Piganzoli, regarded as Vingegaard's most important domestique, finished eighth overall, and the team won the team classification by more than 40 minutes from Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe.
Piancavallo and the finish in Rome
The last mountain stage, stage 20 from Gemona del Friuli to Piancavallo on 30 May, brought his fifth stage win – according to TV Midtvest more than any other Dane has won in a single Grand Tour. The final stage in Rome changed nothing at the top, and Jonathan Milan won the sprint. Vingegaard won by 5:22 from Felix Gall and 6:25 from Jai Hindley, and was also second in the mountains classification behind Giulio Ciccone and fifth on points. All his other results are on our results page.
| Date | Stage | Result | Overall after stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 May | Stage 1 | 76 | 77 |
| 9 May | Stage 2 | 21 | 15 |
| 10 May | Stage 3 | 107 | 19 |
| 12 May | Stage 4 | 18 | 11 |
| 13 May | Stage 5 | 27 | 15 |
| 14 May | Stage 6 | 40 | 15 |
| 15 May | Stage 7 | 1 | 2 |
| 16 May | Stage 8 | 24 | 2 |
| 17 May | Stage 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 19 May | Stage 10 (time trial) | 13 | 2 |
| 20 May | Stage 11 | 32 | 2 |
| 21 May | Stage 12 | 32 | 2 |
| 22 May | Stage 13 | 21 | 2 |
| 23 May | Stage 14 | 1 | 1 |
| 24 May | Stage 15 | 60 | 1 |
| 26 May | Stage 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 27 May | Stage 17 | 34 | 1 |
| 28 May | Stage 18 | 46 | 1 |
| 29 May | Stage 19 | 5 | 1 |
| 30 May | Stage 20 | 1 | 1 |
| 31 May | Stage 21 | 104 | 1 |
| 31 May | Overall | 1 |
Winning all three Grand Tours
The Giro completed the set. He had already won the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023 – see Vingegaard at the Tour de France – and the 2025 Vuelta a España, covered on our Vuelta page. He is the eighth rider in history to win all three, after Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Froome, and the first since Froome in 2018. He is the first Dane on that list, and he got there before his great rival Tadej Pogačar. It was his fourth Grand Tour win.
In Denmark the Giro was shown on Kanal 5, Eurosport and HBO Max; TV 2 does not hold the rights. The official race site is giroditalia.it.
When did Jonas Vingegaard win the Giro d'Italia?
Jonas Vingegaard won the 2026 Giro d'Italia, which finished in Rome on 31 May 2026. It was his first time riding the race.
How many stages did Vingegaard win at the 2026 Giro?
Five: Blockhaus (stage 7), Corno alle Scale (stage 9), Pila (stage 14), Carì (stage 16) and Piancavallo (stage 20).
Who finished second and third at the 2026 Giro d'Italia?
Felix Gall was second, 5:22 behind Vingegaard, and Jai Hindley third at 6:25.
How many riders have won all three Grand Tours?
With his 2026 Giro win, Jonas Vingegaard became the eighth rider to win the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España, and the first Dane to do so.