Vingegaard reveals that he has been ill during the first week of the 2026 Giro

Jonas Vingegaard has acknowledged that he also went through a small illness during the first week of the 2026 Giro d'Italia. The Danish rider from Visma confirmed that he had discomfort before the rest day, although he assures that he is now feeling much better and fully focused on the fight for the pink jersey.

Vingegaard admits he was ill during the Giro, although he claims that "it's all behind me now"

The news was initially revealed by Jesper Mørkøv, sports director of Visma, in statements to Danish television TV2. The coach explained that several riders on the team had experienced mild symptoms after the stages marked by cold and rain at the start of the race.

"Some guys had a bit of a cough and a scratchy throat, but now it seems that everything is under control," Mørkøv explained. "Jonas was also one of them, although he seems to be fine now."

Later, it was Vingegaard himself who confirmed the situation in statements collected by the Danish media Feltet. The leader of Visma acknowledged that he had some discomfort before the rest day, although he wanted to make it clear that the problem seems to be resolved now.

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"I also had a bit, but it was before the rest day and it's all behind me now. I'm feeling much better," explained the Dane. "There have been quite a few cases within the peloton, and it's noticeable that many riders have gone through something these days. We have to be careful."

The 2026 Giro is causing numerous physical problems within the peloton. Visma has not been the only affected team. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe also reported stomach discomfort in Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari before the rest day, while Uno-X Mobility recently lost Martin Tjøtta and Erlend Blikra due to illness. This Thursday, Sjoerd Bax, fourth in the time trial in Pisa, also withdrew due to physical problems, and Spanish rider Javi Romo from Movistar withdrew due to a flu-like illness.

Despite these discomforts, Vingegaard maintains a very solid position in the general classification and remains one of the top favorites to win this Giro. After the stage in Novi Ligure, he occupies second place in the standings, just 33 seconds behind Afonso Eulálio, the surprising leader of Bahrain Victorious. Thymen Arensman, third with Netcompany INEOS, is already more than two minutes behind the Dane.

During Thursday's stage, Visma visibly protected their leader again. The Dutch team constantly rode around Vingegaard at key moments of the route, especially in the final stretch and in the most nervous areas, trying to avoid splits and problems before the decisive mountain stages that are coming this weekend.