Jonas Vingegaard is racing the Giro d’Italia with the same meticulous approach he applies to all grand tours: leaving nothing to chance. Every detail matters to the Dane, who has long been obsessed with controlling every aspect surrounding a three-week stage race—power output, rest, nutrition, and now even risks outside the bike.
Vingegaard, wearing a mask at the airport during the travel from Bulgaria to Italy. (Photo: Nacho Labarga)
The Visma | Lease a Bike leader has brought that philosophy to the Corsa Rosa, turning prevention into a key part of his race plan. In the early days of the Giro, he has already displayed several scenes that reveal how he approaches competition. In the mixed zone, he fulfills media obligations, answers questions, but avoids picking up microphones offered by journalists—like the one from MARCA during Wednesday’s presentation. He speaks without issue, yet avoids unnecessary contact.
With fans, he maintains the same line. He signs autographs, but always uses his own marker—a nearly imperceptible gesture for most, but fully calculated for him. This small act reflects his obsession with minimizing exposure to germs and viruses.
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This image was reinforced during the Giro’s transfer from Bulgaria to Italy after the Grande Partenza. While the peloton changed countries, Vingegaard traveled wearing an FFP2 mask, aiming to reduce any potential exposure. The Dane himself admitted he wore a mask and used hand sanitizer during a travel day that, in his ideal world, he would have avoided.
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Not all peloton leaders handle these situations the same way. Some interact more naturally with fans, journalists, and promotional events. Vingegaard has chosen a different path. He understands that a grand tour can be lost not just through a crash, a bad day in the mountains, or a bonk—it can also slip away due to a virus or a simple infection off the road.
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The Visma team knows the value of these tiny details. Vingegaard is not only protecting his chances of winning but also months of preparation. That’s why every routine fits into the same idea: from wearing a mask on a plane to pulling his own marker from his pocket for autographs. Everything counts when the goal is to reach Rome without a single crack in the plan.