The Giro organisation knows it by now: point a camera at Vingegaard and you are all but guaranteed a kiss in return.
It has become something of a Vingegaard trademark — his way of saying hello to his wife Trine and their two children from wherever the race has taken him. A signal that says: all good here. The same happened during stage 1 in Bulgaria, though the cameraman had to work for it a little.
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When Vingegaard first came into shot during the live broadcast, he was deep in conversation with fellow Dane Michael Valgren of EF Education-EasyPost and wasn't quite ready for his close-up.
The cameraman moved on. But later, it finally came good.
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Vingegaard paints his nails red for a cause
Vingegaard also attracted attention on Friday for the red nail he brought to the start podium.
"It's for a good cause," Vingegaard says. "A cause for the wellbeing of children in Denmark. One in six children are mentally or physically abused by their parents."
"That is something we want to fight against," he continues passionately. "Every child deserves to grow up in a safe home environment. It is an incredibly important cause."
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.