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Follow us on GoogleJonas Vingegaard won stage seven of the Giro d'Italia. But the Dane had a lot of help from teammates to create the platform for it. Davide Piganzoli caught the eye of commentators and fans with his turn at the front: climbing, fully exposed in the wind. The 23-year-old Italian had already been impressive earlier in this Giro, and spoke to IDL Pro Cycling about his remarkable development as a rider.
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Piganzoli joined Visma | Lease a Bike last winter, moving across from the ProTeam Polti VisitMalta. "In the end it was the team's project that impressed me the most," he said when the transfer was announced. He even called compatriot and now-teammate Edoardo Affini before signing, and Affini's words only made him more enthusiastic.
When he returned to the media in April, Piganzoli looked back on his first months in the Dutch team's colours with clear excitement. "I've improved enormously. The numbers prove it," he said. The reason those numbers hadn't yet translated into results was largely because he followed the same programme as Vingegaard — at Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya — both of which Vingegaard won.
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Davide Piganzoli
Piganzoli riding the entire Giro for Vingegaard
Working for Vingegaard in his first WorldTour year is something Piganzoli does with genuine pleasure. Before the Giro, Wilco Kelderman — also speaking to IDL Pro Cycling — was extremely enthusiastic about him: "Davide is incredibly eager to learn and simply very, very good — let's not beat around the bush. He could ride a top ten at the Giro in his own right. Maybe he sits just below Sepp Kuss — but that is already enormously important."
In the first two mountain tests for Vingegaard and Visma | Lease a Bike, it has been not Kuss but Piganzoli who has made the decisive difference at the front of the race. Before the start of stage seven, he told us: "Every day can be different. Sepp and I are here to help Jonas as much and as well as we can — and if one of us feels better than the other on a given day, that's the one who'll be the last man."
On Blockhaus, big names including Egan Bernal (Netcompany INEOS), Enric Mas (Movistar) and several others were dropped when Piganzoli stood on the pedals. The Italian continued to ride hard after his turn — but was clear about where his ambitions lie: "A GC result isn't on the table at all. We're here purely to win the Giro with Jonas. He is the strongest rider and our only leader. We all work for him."
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Piganzoli increased watts since joining Visma | Lease a Bike
Piganzoli is in the same generation as UAE and Red Bull leaders Isaac del Toro and Giulio Pellizzari. And his progress has accelerated dramatically since joining Visma | Lease a Bike. Before the Blockhaus stage, he said with evident pride: "I'm genuinely much better than last year — my values have gone up between five and seven per cent. On day two I was already able to launch Jonas well, and I hope to keep helping in the same way."
Five to seven per cent more — at 400 watts, that's already 28 additional watts if we calculate at seven per cent. Any rider would be delighted with that, which explains Piganzoli's enthusiasm. Together with Vingegaard, he had already been dreaming on Mount Teide of what they might achieve in the Giro. "When we were there on altitude camp, we were already talking about Blockhaus. We were really looking forward to it — and Jonas looks fantastic."
Piganzoli had already said before the stage that Visma | Lease a Bike intended to win with Vingegaard. And they did.
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- - I’m still learning how cyclocross works: when he says he messed up the start at the Europeans, can a bad start really make that much difference?patriciaw14-11-2026
- - Love that he’s honest about the pressure. Hopefully he can carry this form through the winter.lindae14-11-2026
- - Beating different competition is the key now. Nys is already in the mix, and Van der Poel could make the next step a much tougher one.jennifer1914-11-2026
- - About time—Mason’s been knocking on the door for years. That Niel win could really open things up for him.cadencekingm14-11-2026
- I’m still learning how cyclocross works—does leading the Superprestige mean Mason is top of that race series, rather than the World Cup? Either way, winning in Belgium sounds like a massive result.cadencekingm13-11-2026
- Calling Onley a contender for an overall Tour win already feels a bit premature, especially after the injury setbacks. Still, the depth of talent is exciting.robert6513-11-2026
- Great to see Dickson’s route from triathlon to the WorldTour getting recognition. Scottish cycling has plenty to be proud of, and the 2027 Grand Départ could give the next generation a real lift.patriciaw13-11-2026
- The article makes a good case for clubs and small teams doing the groundwork, rather than one big development pipeline. Thornley’s Vuelta time trials were seriously impressive too; missing a stage win by two seconds is brutal.davidm13-11-2026
- Mason winning in Niel is huge—beating that kind of Belgian field in the mud takes serious class. The Kelvingrove World Cup could be an unforgettable homecoming.breakawaybikerd13-11-2026
- I’m not sure how WorldTour licences work—could these reports affect whether the team gets one next year, or is that decision based on other criteria?velodromevirtuoso113-11-2026
