This is the formidable Visma | Lease a Bike Giro d'Italia squad built around Jonas Vingegaard
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Follow us on GoogleVisma | Lease a Bike were among the last teams to announce their Giro d'Italia squad on Wednesday. The Dutch team go to Italy with top favourite Jonas Vingegaard targeting overall victory — but who will support the Dane in his hunt for the Grand Tour hat-trick?
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Vingegaard has won the Tour de France twice and added the Vuelta a España to his palmares in 2025. The Giro d'Italia remains the missing piece — and not surprisingly, given he has never ridden it before. This race will be his debut.
To make the pink jersey dream a reality — and win back-to-back Giros for Visma | Lease a Bike after Simon Yates's victory in 2025 — Vingegaard has been given a well-balanced squad. They start on Friday 8 May in Bulgaria, with 21 stages taking them all the way to Rome on 31 May.
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Jonas Vingegaard
Strong climbing support for Vingegaard at the Giro
For the flat stages and the ever-chaotic finales, Vingegaard can rely on Victor Campenaerts — now a close confidant and trusted ally within the squad. Timo Kielich and Tim Rex also play an important role in keeping Vingegaard safe on the days when the road stays flat.
When the climbs come into view, Bart Lemmen and Wilco Kelderman will go to work. Visma | Lease a Bike will hope both can stay with the front group deep into the high mountain stages, keeping their two most valuable cards in reserve for as long as possible.
Former Vuelta winner Sepp Kuss is the team's familiar wildcard — a rider capable of turning a race on its head when the moment arrives. Italian signing Davide Piganzoli is also expected to deliver in the mountains in support of Vingegaard.
Visma | Lease a Bike team Giro d'Italia 2026
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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
- Why would a mountain time trial be different from a normal one? Is it just that the riders have to climb the whole course?samanthak03-11-2026
- I don’t quite buy the “fear of failure” argument. Riders can race the Giro and still have confidence in July; it comes down to recovery and planning, doesn’t it?patriciaw03-11-2026
- The Giro-Tour double is a massive ask, even for the very best. Pogačar made it look almost routine in 2024, but that’s hardly a sensible benchmark for everyone else!pedalpowe2903-11-2026
- Bakelants makes a fair point: if the 2027 Tour really suits Remco, he can’t afford to dilute the build-up. That 37km flat TT will be tempting, mind.julien03-11-2026
- Mont Blanc sounds like a spectacular finish, though four climbs on the final day might be a bit much after eight hard stages. Hope the route details are clear soon.raceready703-11-2026
- Is the Valdigne time trial uphill all the way, or are there flatter sections too? I’m still figuring out how these stages work.jennifer1903-11-2026
- Three sprint chances, then all that climbing? The GC battle should really take shape after Passo San Marco. Can’t wait!robert6503-11-2026
- Finishing on the same day the men race Stage 20 is a nice touch, but I hope the women’s race gets plenty of coverage too.pedalpowe2903-11-2026
- Three mountain finishes and an uphill time trial—this route looks tailor-made for Vollering. That final stage to Mont Blanc could be brutal.cadencekingm03-11-2026
- Seixas has said he’s bored with the transfer talk, so maybe the article could give more space to the racing itself. He’s under contract until 2027; there’s no need to turn every appearance into a signing saga.velodromevirtuoso103-11-2026