'I think I'd choose the Giro' - Vingegaard ready to go for pink, but Tour de France might complicate things

After his two wins in the Tour de France and his victory in this year's Vuelta a España, Jonas Vingegaard 'only' needs to win the Giro d'Italia to join an illustrious list of legends. After the victory in Spain, the Dane of Visma | Lease a Bike had already been vocal about the possibilities of a start in the Italian race, but where do things stand now after the route was made public?

Of course, Vingegaard knows: the Tour de France is the most important grand tour, and will remain so for him and his team for quite a while. But the Giro d'Italia is certainly an option for the climber, who would love to win all the grand tours. When Marca asks him which race he would most like to win, the answer is straight forward: "I think I'd choose the Giro d'Italia."

The route doesn’t look unfavourable at all for the two-time Tour winner, with several summit finishes and a hefty individual time trial. But is that enough to commit already? “I can’t say anything about that yet,” the Dane replied. “We haven’t decided what we’re going to do next year. It’s something we have to discuss with the team. Then we’ll make a plan and see which races I’ll ride.”

A Giro–Tour double is possible, Vingegaard knows. He hopes that combination will be just as manageable as the Tour–Vuelta double he successfully pulled off this year, when he added the Spanish Grand Tour to his palmarès. “I’ve always enjoyed riding the Tour and the Vuelta. It’s been a long season, and it feels very long all the way through to October. But if you ride both the Tour and the Vuelta, you don’t have to train that much after the Tour; you’re practically done with your season by then. I’ve always liked that combination.”

Yet one question will remain: how fresh will Vingegaard be on the Giro start line, if he does decide to race it? La Grande Boucle will continue to be the main objective. “ I think the Tour de France is so big that you want to go for it as soon as you have even the smallest chance,” he explained. “The Tour is huge, and it’s hard to win there. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but maybe you have to combine it with other races.”

Would Vingegaard consider his season a success if he wins either the Tour or the Giro? For him, the answer is actually much simpler. “I would be very happy if I could have a season without breaks. Last year I had a few moments, and this year as well. A few short ones, but they were there. Of course I also want to win races, but I’m not going to say now which ones they have to be. It depends on the goals we set as a team.”