The Danish tifosi along the roadside of the Giro d'Italia are growing in number as Jonas Vingegaard moves closer to overall victory. For the first time in Giro history, a Dane also won the stage while another Dane raced in pink, thanks to Michael Valgren's perfect breakaway strategy. It was a double Dane-day in Andalo, above Trento.
Vingegaard and Valgren were born just eight kilometres apart in North Jutland near the North Sea. Vingegaard is six years younger than Valgren but they rode for the same cycling club and were part of the same cycling community.
Valgren celebrated his first-ever Grand Tour stage victory in Andalo, and then after five minutes, Vingegaard finished to keep the maglia rosa for another day. Behind the podium, the two celebrated a moment of Danish cycling success.
Latest Videos From
"During the stage, I asked about the situation up front via the team radio and when I heard Michael won the stage, it made me really happy," Vingegaard revealed.
Valgren revealed that Jonas used to look up to him as a role model and hero when they were younger. Now they race on rival teams, but their bond remains.
"I wouldn't say Jonas and I are close, but somehow we are, because I have known him since he was a little kid," Valgren said with brotherly affection.
"We've been on family vacations together in France. When we raced as kids, we went to races with his mom and dad and my mum and dad.
"I know him quite well, but then we kind of just took different paths, but I think our friendship will never die. We have a lot of respect for each other, and it's always nice to see him winning. Now I can finally show that I can win again too, so it's a good balance of a friendship."
Valgren's stage victory sparked Vingegaard's personal pride for what he has achieved during his career. He is the most successful Danish rider in history, thanks to his two Tour de France victories and is close to completing a Grand Tour trilogy.
"You have big dreams as a kid but this is even bigger than what I dreamed of. What I have achieved already in my career is something that I think a young Jonas would be very happy and proud about," Vingegaard said.
"Cycling in Denmark is popular and if I'm one of the reasons that people start cycling in Denmark, that's a good thing and makes me proud."
Vingegaard may yet win another stage at the 2026 Giro before the final stage in Rome but he also wants to pay back Italian teammate Davide Piganzoli for his hard work during the last three weeks.
Piganzoli is only 2:17 down on Afonso Eulálio Bahrain-Victorious) in the best young riders competition and could win the white jersey in Rome.
Vingegaard confirmed he is ready to sacrifice winning another stage to help Piganzoli.
"There are two super hard mountain stages coming up, so there will be time differences," Vingegaard predicted.
"It depends on his legs as well, on whether he has the level, but I think so far Davide shows that he really has a high level and the level to at least fight for it."
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our coverage of the Giro d'Italia. Enjoy unrivaled reporting from our team of journalists on the ground, including breaking news, analysis, and more, from every stage as it happens, plus access to the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! Find out more.
