Important Updates on Possible Giro d’Italia plans for Jonas Vingegaard and Unibet Rose Rockets

Jonas Vingegaard and the Unibet Rose Rockets look increasingly likely to set their sights on the Giro d’Italia in 2026. For the Dane at Visma | Lease a Bike, this would be a personal choice targeting a potential debut in the Italian Grand Tour, while for the Dutch-registered pro continental outfit of Bas Tietema, a Giro start could come as a replacement opportunity for Cofidis. 

The Rockets have been aiming for a Tour de France wildcard for several seasons, and they appear to be in serious contention for one in 2026. With the arrivals of riders such as Dylan Groenewegen, Wout Poels, Victor Lafay and Niklas Larsen, Tietema’s squad has bolstered its roster to make a case for invites to the sport’s biggest races.

According to Cycling Pro, an interesting opening may now be emerging in the hunt for WorldTour start spots. Cofidis was relegated from the WorldTour in 2025 to the ProTour, but as the highest-performing ProTour team they retained automatic entry to the major WorldTour races. However, it now appears they may give up that right for the Giro d’Italia, as there is no longer a compulsory start obligation.

This situation could free up an additional wildcard for the Giro in May, with several teams potentially in the frame. Since Tudor Pro Cycling and Pinarello-Q36.5 have automatic start rights thanks to their 2025 performances, and outfits like Bardiani CSF 7 Saber and Polti VisitMalta are normally given wildcards, other teams now being discussed include Burgos Burpellet BH, Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, Equipo Kern Pharma, TotalEnergies, and Unibet Rose Rockets. 

Beyond the wildcard situation, a key question remains: which headline riders will be on the 2026 Giro d’Italia start list? After Tadej Pogačar ticked the race off his calendar in 2024 and the battle in 2025 saw Isaac Del Toro, Richard Carapaz and eventual winner Simon Yates, there’s speculation that Visma | Lease a Bike may target the race next season — with Jonas Vingegaard at the centre of that plan.

The 29-year-old Dane has never raced the Giro, making it the only one of the three Grand Tours missing from his palmarès. Having already won the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023 and adding the Vuelta a España title last season, it’s a natural question whether he’ll line up at the Corsa Rosa in 2026 — especially given the dominance of Pogačar in recent Tours. 

Spanish outlet Marca reports that the answer is “yes”, claiming that sources close to Vingegaard and Visma | Lease a Bike say a deal is in place for him to start the Giro, which begins in Bulgaria next May. The team’s official programme will be unveiled at Visma’s media day in mid-January, but the terms for his participation are said to have already been discussed.