If Vingegaard does the Giro, he’ll face a dangerous Red Bull duo: "Good Giro for a contract"

If Jonas Vingegaard races the Giro d’Italia in 2026, he will face two strong general classification rivals from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe — a formidable pairing that could shape the outcome of the race. The Danish rider, fresh off his 2025 Vuelta a España victory, would come up against Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari, who finished fourth and sixth overall in that same race. Both riders are expected to be key contenders again in Italy next year.

Pellizzari, 22, and Hindley, 29, both raced the Giro in 2025. While Pellizzari had a breakthrough performance with sixth on GC, Hindley’s race ended prematurely due to a crash. He bounced back later in the season in the Vuelta. In an interview with Daniel Benson, Hindley praised Pellizzari. 

Hindley credited their partnership for part of their success. According to him, there are "no big egos". ”You have to do everything that you can and then back yourself. And if it goes well, then it goes well, but if not, you need to put everything aside and be willing to help your teammates. Which I think, with him, I can expect that, and he can expect that from me. I think that trust is a big one."

This duo, now with renewed confidence following a strong 2025 season, could be even more dangerous in the Italian Grand Tour. Hindley plans to start his season at the Clásica Jaén, ride either the Ruta del Sol or Tour of Valencia, and then build form in Tirreno-Adriatico en route to the Giro. "Normally, I’d go there for GC with Giulio and also Aleks Vlasov."

Interestingly, Hindley arguably needs a strong Giro d’Italia result more than most riders — he will be out of contract after 2026 with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. The Australian didn’t hide that a good result could be crucial. “It would be nice to secure another contract somewhere. I think to do the Giro and hopefully get a result there is really important."

Staying with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is also an option. "I’m very happy here in this environment. It’s also a massive advantage for a rider like me to be in one of the best teams in the world, as I receive excellent support in all areas. We have one of the best teams, in my opinion. Being in this environment is really ideal, but stepping away would also be something new and, in my view, not easy."

Hindley emphasized that he’s keeping his options open. “It depends on what you’re aiming for, and I don’t really know… I don’t know… I don’t think there are so many GC guys on the market. Everyone seems to be locked in until 2035 or something. Everyone is fucking signing big contracts, so I don’t know. I’m not stressing about it, I would say, but it’s definitely something that I’m thinking about."

"You can be in the worst team in the world, and you can have all the opportunities that you want, but it depends on where you find the balance, I guess. I think that being in one of the best teams in the world or a team that’s trying to be the best in the world also gives you a lot as a rider, in terms of the environment."