Jonas Vingegaard ready for tricky hill stage: "The real Giro can start now"

In the first stages, we already saw plenty of racing action, but the fifth stage between Praia a Mare and Potenza is the first real opportunity for attackers in this Giro d’Italia 2026. Will it also be a day for Jonas Vingegaard? The Dane is certainly looking forward to the deceptive hill stage.

The fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia is a true transition stage. Gradually, the Giro caravan moves northward to arrive in the finish city of Potenza in the afternoon. In the finale, riders face the Montagna Grande di Viggiano (17 kilometers at 4.7%) and several uncategorized climbs. Will Vingegaard see a chance to fight for the stage win?

"It's always fun to go for a victory, of course. But we will have to wait and see how many riders want to be in the breakaway, because it could be a tricky day to control the race," he said ahead of the start in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad.

"I already feel good. The Giro is going well for us, except for Wilco’s (Kelderman’s) withdrawal. We definitely still needed him for the coming days, so that is unfortunate."

How does the Dane look back on the first Giro stages? "The first four days went well and were relatively easy for us. Luckily, I always stayed safe and came through without a scratch. From now on the real Giro can begin."