With his conquest of the Corsa Rosa, Jonas Vingegaard has elevated himself to a new place in cycling history. The first Dane ever to win the Giro d’Italia is now a rider capable of conquering all three Grand Tours.

On Sunday, Rome crowned a new Emperor. Veni, vidi, vici — “I came, I saw, I conquered.” The Latin cliché may be overused, but it could hardly be more fitting for the winner of the 2026 Giro d’Italia. At 29 years of age, Jonas Vingegaard arrived at the Corsa Rosa for the very first time. Over the course of three weeks, he remained true to himself: reserved, understated and elegant, both on and off the bike. Yet his racing was anything but conservative, launching fearless attacks in the mountains on his way to a historic triumph.

Having already won the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023, and the Vuelta a España in 2025, the Dane now adds the coveted pink jewel to his collection. “It feels unreal,” he admitted. His dominance, however, was anything but unreal. The dream of wearing the Maglia Rosa had been with Vingegaard for years. It became a concrete objective last season, although he only revealed his ambitions publicly in January. The great rival of Tadej Pogačar was ready to embrace a new challenge, broaden his horizons and enrich an already glittering palmarès. Winning in yellow was no longer enough; he wanted to cement his status among the giants of the sport.

There was a sense of initiation when Vingegaard rolled onto the shores of the Black Sea for the Grande Partenza. The 109th edition of the Giro first rewarded Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), who claimed the opening Maglia Rosa after enduring a difficult debut in the race a year earlier. Meanwhile, Vingegaard looked comfortable almost immediately. On just the second day of racing, he launched a sharp acceleration on the climb to the Lyaskovets Monastery. A small group eventually reeled him back in, paving the way for Thomas Silva (XDS Astana) to take the honours. It was not yet the Dane’s moment. But the foundations of his Italian conquest had already been laid on the roads of Bulgaria.

Vingegaard’s five masterclasses

The first breakthrough came on Stage 7, the race’s first summit finish. Ahead lay the legendary Blockhaus, its unforgiving slopes etched into Giro folklore by decades of epic battles. At the top, Jonas Vingegaard kissed the photograph of his family taped to his handlebars as he celebrated his maiden stage victory at the Giro d’Italia. It was a triumph rich in symbolism. The Blockhaus was also where the great Eddy Merckx opened his Giro d’Italia account back in 1967, launching a relationship with the Corsa Rosa that would become the stuff of legend. Nearly six decades later, Vingegaard added his own chapter to the mountain’s history:

That victory — his 10th stage win in a Grand Tour — had already earned Jonas Vingegaard a place in an exclusive club: he became the 115th rider in history to win stages in all three Grand Tours — the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. “I’ve been looking forward to this stage ever since I saw the route,” he smiled at the finish. Clearly, the Danish climbing specialist had circled several other mountain showdowns in red long before the race even began. And after conquering the Blockhaus, the display continued at Corno alle Scale. There, Vingegaard delivered another masterclass, riding with complete authority and total control as he tightened his grip on the Giro:

Then came Pila, where he pulled on the Maglia Rosa for the very first time:

At Cari, Jonas Vingegaard completed a remarkable four-win haul at the Giro d’Italia, claiming his fourth stage victory of the race:

Finally, on the slopes of Piancavallo, in a stage steeped in emotion and history, Vingegaard laid the fifth stone of his pink monument:

Vingegaard – a partnership that leaves both greater than before

“It was special to wear this commemorative Maglia Rosa and pay tribute to the victims of the earthquake fifty years ago,” Jonas Vingegaard reflected after his victory in Friuli.

Now comes the Roman triumph. Thanks to Vingegaard, Denmark becomes the 18th nation to produce a Giro d’Italia winner. The former fish-market worker has become accustomed to rewriting the cycling history of his homeland, but this victory transcends national boundaries. With the Giro now added to his résumé, he moves into the company of the sport’s true giants, regardless of era or nationality.

After Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Froome, there is now an eighth rider to have conquered all three Grand Tours. That rider is Jonas Vingegaard.

Notably, he achieves the feat before Tadej Pogačar — a detail that carries weight in a rivalry that has come to define modern Grand Tour racing and has already secured its place in cycling history. With the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España and now the Giro d’Italia on his palmarès, Vingegaard is no longer simply one of the defining riders of his generation, he is one of the defining riders of all time.