How Visma | Lease a Bike keeps Jonas Vingegaard healthy during the Giro d’Italia

At Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, there’s likely some envy toward other GC teams that managed to avoid struggling leaders during the first half of the Giro d’Italia. Giulio Pellizzari and Jai Hindley have both been under the weather mid-Giro, yet at Visma | Lease a Bike and for top favorite Jonas Vingegaard, everything appears under control. IDL Procycling asked how they manage it.

In recent days, the focus has naturally been on Red Bull, where two of Vingegaard’s main rivals lost time after feeling off toward the end of the first week and during the stage 10 time trial. After several cold, rainy days in the opening week, a large part of the peloton has been dealing with minor or more serious complaints.

Not so at Visma | Lease a Bike, where the situation is well managed. “I think the whole peloton is a bit sniffly after the cold early days. But that’s nothing—just a little cough or sneezing. That’s it,” said team manager Marc Reef on Wednesday morning at the team bus, ahead of stage 11.

Reef’s comments suggest that any germs present in Visma | Lease a Bike are being effectively countered. Observers following the team closely in the first eleven days noticed strict protocols: masks and hand sanitizer during transfers, fans are not allowed to touch the riders at the bus, and autographs are rarely given.

These precautions extend beyond the race itself. On the road, coach Arthur van Dongen explains that during the first week, riders were carefully managed regarding wet clothing. “That means getting dry clothes as quickly as possible after the finish, and during very bad weather stages, we make sure they come back to the car regularly to stay warm. Of course, that doesn’t always work perfectly.”

“We pay as much attention to hygiene as possible,” Van Dongen added after stage 11 at the bus. “Masks and hand sanitizer are partly Jonas’ initiative himself. There’s a limit, though; riders are exposed to a lot, but we do everything we can.”

With the first week’s cold and rain behind them and warmer temperatures expected in the second week, precautions might be slightly relaxed. “But it also depends on the individual. It’s about how resistant a rider is, and some handle certain weather better than others.”

“It will be warm, though not as extreme as in July. Then it’s more about cooling and being less worried about illness. Experience shows that riders are most vulnerable in bad weather,” Van Dongen said, continuing to monitor hygiene. “We have a team doctor with us, and the moment anyone notices or feels something, we act immediately.”

Within the team, the risk of infecting one another is also minimized. “All our riders sleep alone, which we always do preventively. Optimal rest is achieved by sleeping alone, not sharing a room with someone else.”

Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])