It all went according to plan, according to Jonas Vingegaard's assessment of his victory atop Pila, the decisive mountaintop finish on stage 14 that launched him into the overall lead at the Giro d'Italia.
The two-time winner of the Tour de France and one-time Vuelta a España champion doesn't believe the race for the overall title in Italy is wrapped up just yet. But he nonetheless said he dreams of taking the maglia rosa into Rome.
"It's definitely new. I think the pink jersey is one of the most special ones in cycling and something I'm really happy with. It's something I've been dreaming of. A lot of young guys and kids dream of having a pink jersey. It's really special for me and for the team," Vingegaard said in a post-race press conference held on the summit of Pila on Saturday.
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Vingegaard had already won two stages at the Giro d'Italia, both summit finishes at Blockhaus on stage 7, and Corno alle Scale on stage 9. However, those performances were not enough to take the maglia rosa from the previous race leader Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain-Victorious).
After he struggled in the decisive 42km time trial on stage 10, Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike revealed on Thursday that he had been unwell in the first week but had almost fully recovered before the second week of racing.
He went into stage 14 sitting 33 seconds off the back of Eulálio, and he was followed by Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos), Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM), Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla) and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammates Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari. Michael Storer (Tudor), Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek) and Chris Harper (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling) were also in the GC mix.
The slopes of Pila, it seems, had always been the place that Vingegaard pinpointed as the best opportunity to take the overall race lead. And in textbook fashion, Visma controlled the race for nearly the entire 133km stage, kept a large breakaway at a manageable distance and then blew things apart on the final climb.
"The plan was actually exactly how we executed it. We made the plan, and we said we were going to pace on the first climb and from there we went faster and faster, and that is basically what we did," Vingegaard said.
While he praised all of his teammates for their efforts on the day, he said a few additional words about 23-year-old Davide Piganzoli, who supported Vingegaard into the final moments before his attack with 4.6km remaining, and managed to hang on for fourth place.
"I'm happy with how he is riding, but also with how my teammates are riding. It was super impressive, and they were really strong today. They were also super motivated, and it makes me proud of how they were riding today, and also I'm happy that I can pay it off," Vingegaard said.
In his debut at the Giro d'Italia, this marks the first time that Vingegaard has worn the maglia rosa, and he spent a few moments speaking to the media about how it feels to have held all three Grand Tour jerseys during his career.
"You can compare it, but I think, obviously, without saying anything bad about the Giro, I think the biggest one is the Tour. But then, for me, the second biggest one is the Giro," he said.
"It is special and something that I've really wanted, so I'm extremely happy and proud. Especially after how my team rode today. They did an amazing job. We said we were going to control from the start. They did so. It was impressive how they rode today."
Asked if he believes his winning performance atop Pila also marks the moment he has won the 2026 Giro d'Italia, Vingegaard reminded the media that there is still over a week to go, including a back-to-back grand climbing finale on stage 19 at Alleghe (Piani di Pezzè) and stage 20 at Piancavallo.
"No. I would say that is not true. There are still three very hard mountain stages in the last week. For sure, it is not over yet, and anyone can have a bad day, so we just need to keep the focus, keep fighting for this beautiful jersey. It would be a dream for me to take this jersey into Rome."
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