Jonas Vingegaard and Visma | Lease a Bike took a 'calculated risk' in the Giro d'Italia's opening stage

Visma | Lease a Bike came through the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia unscathed — and in doing so, the Dutch team achieved exactly what they had set out to do: get through the stage safely. Their method was to ride the entire finale at the very back of the peloton with their full eight-man squad. Team leader Jonas Vingegaard and sports director Jesper Mørkøv explained the reasoning to IDL Pro Cycling in Burgas.

It was a slightly strange sight: seven yellow jerseys grouped tightly around Vingegaard's red helmet, while up front riders were fighting for position like crazed bulls. Somewhat counterintuitive, you might think. "But the boys did well and stuck to the plan. And yes, that plan was to ride at the back as a full unit," Mørkøv nods.

"The most important thing for us today was to reach the finish unscathed. The boys made it to the final five kilometres without any problems, which made losing time impossible," added colleague Marc Reef on the team website.

"The decision to sit at the back was a conscious one," Vingegaard confirms. "We've done it a few times before and I have to say I like it. On a day like today with those wide roads, there's really no danger. And even if something did go wrong, we would have been able to get the situation under control."

"Of course it's a risk, but for us it was a calculated one on a day like today," Mørkøv agrees. "If something had still happened or the peloton had split, we also had our strongest riders sitting behind Jonas to limit the damage."

The sports director elaborates. "For a stage like this, it is the perfect tactic for us. By sitting at the back, we also save energy. But it stays nervous even so. Sitting in the car, you still have a certain feeling in your stomach — and you're relieved when a stage like this is done."

Vingegaard and his teammates watched the riders go down in the crash — among them Kaden Groves and Dylan Groenewegen. "Above all, I hope everyone is okay. It looked like a heavy crash. But we were all the way at the back and it happened up front. We're just happy this day is done."

Marc Reef echoed the sentiment on the team website. "In the opening stage of a Grand Tour, there is always a lot at stake. Things went badly wrong in the final kilometre. We chose to keep ourselves in the background in the finale."