Three Grand Tours, Seven Legends, and Now One Dane: Vingegaard Joins Cycling's Most Exclusive Club

Jonas Vingegaard has done something only seven cyclists have ever done. The Dane won the Giro d'Italia for the first time on Sunday, crossing the finish line in Rome after 21 grueling stages. But that is not the whole story.

With this victory, Vingegaard can now call himself a winner of all three of cycling's Grand Tours. He won the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023. Last year, he took the Vuelta a España. Now the Giro is his. That puts him in an exclusive club. Only seven other professional cyclists have achieved the feat: Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, and Chris Froome.

"It's incredible. It's something I've dreamed of my whole life," an emotional Vingegaard said after being greeted at the finish line by his family. "It's a special day."

Vingegaard rode the final stage through Rome with his teammates, enjoying the moment near the Circus Maximus. He started the day in the pink leader's jersey in style – reaching out of a support vehicle to grab a handful of fruit gummies, which he snacked on before sharing with the other riders.

The final general classification showed a commanding lead. Vingegaard finished 5 minutes and 22 seconds ahead of Austria's Felix Gall, and 6 minutes and 25 seconds ahead of Australia's Jai Hindley. Italian sprinter Jonathan Milan won the final stage, giving the home crowd something to cheer.

The race was won in the mountains. On the punishing climb to Piancavallo the day before the finale, Vingegaard confirmed his dominant form. No one could follow him. He took his fifth stage win of this Giro – all five in mountain finishes. His teammate Sepp Kuss took the only other mountain stage victory of the race.

Vingegaard's great rival, Tadej Pogacar, was not at this Giro. The Slovenian still lacks a Vuelta victory to complete his own Grand Tour collection. The two will meet again at the Tour de France, which starts on July 4 in Barcelona. Also worth watching: last year's Tour third-place finisher Florian Lipowitz of Germany and young French talent Paul Seixas, both of whom could challenge the two superstars.

What is next for Vingegaard? He does not plan to ride forever. "I don't see myself still racing past the age of 35," he said on a rest day. "I'm turning 30, so that's still a long way off. Also, I don't see myself changing teams. I expect to finish my career with this team." He rides for Visma-Lease a Bike.

For now, the Dane has done what only a handful of legends have done before him. He has won all three. The pink jersey in Rome. The yellow jersey in Paris. The red jersey in Madrid. Vingegaard has them all. And at 30, he is not done yet. The only question left: how many more?

Written by Sandy van Dongen