Vingegaard pays tribute to wife as Giro countdown begins — 'You are an inspiration to me'

Jonas Vingegaard is approaching his Giro d'Italia debut in a relaxed state of mind. The 29-year-old Visma | Lease a Bike Dane has just 15 race days in his legs, but away from the spotlight he has been building towards peak form ahead of a month in Italy. In the final week before the Giro, he found time for the family.

Vingegaard closed out 2025 on a high, with overall victory at the Vuelta a España. It was perhaps the end point of a long road back, following his hard crash at the Tour of the Basque Country in 2024. Finishing second at that year's Tour de France could be called a minor miracle; in 2025, second place behind an unstoppable Tadej Pogačar was simply the best available outcome.

The signals for 2026, however, are all pointing in the right direction. Despite having to skip the UAE Tour following some physical setbacks, he showed at Paris-Nice that he had put in an outstanding winter. After winning two stages and the overall, Vingegaard spoke of being "at a very high level" — despite the sudden departure of his coach Tim Heemskerk in February.

After Paris-Nice came the Tour of Catalonia, where Vingegaard was again in a class of his own. He won two more stages and took the overall. But, he warned in Barcelona: "I'm not yet at my best." To find his very best legs, Vingegaard retreated again.

At the end of April, he looked back with satisfaction in the Danish media on an altitude camp and several months of hard work. "I've come back in even better shape and I'm getting closer and closer to the form I want for the Giro," he told them. And so he heads to the Giro d'Italia as the clear outright favourite for overall victory.

In the final weeks before a Grand Tour it is normal to give the body some rest, ease off, and let all the hard work take effect. And so Vingegaard had time to be present at the launch of @MyPreffy, a brand new business set up by his wife Trine. It is an app that helps people find the most beautiful places in the world.

It gave Vingegaard the perfect moment to express his admiration for his wife. "I'm so proud of Trine," he wrote on his social channels on Sunday. "It is truly extraordinary that you build such an amazing app, while always being there for the children at home and always supporting me wherever I go. I'm happy for you — you are an inspiration to me."