Jonas Vingegaard says opening stages in Bulgaria were 'so easy', declares 'the real Giro d'Italia can start now'

A chirpy Jonas Vingegaard claimed the opening three stages in Bulgaria were "so easy" as he declared "the real Giro d'Italia can start now".

The Dane (Visma-Lease a Bike) largely stayed in the shadows during the race's start in the Balkan Peninsula, aside from a late but unsuccessful attack on Stage 2, while the sprinters took the spotlight.

After travelling to southern Italy on Monday, Vingegaard admitted the first rest day also offered a welcome opportunity to finally put some power through the pedals after a subdued opening weekend.

Speaking to TNT Sports about his highlight of the rest day, Vingegaard said: "Maybe the massage. No actually, it was to finally be able to push the pedals a little bit.

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"You have to be ready for today and the first three days were so easy, so it was nice to do something at least."

Vingegaard did at least concede that he had pushed during his brief attack on Stage 2.

"I was not holding back," he said. "But it was an eight-minute effort. The rest of the five and a half hours was 160 watts."

'The real Giro can start now' - Vingegaard excited for Italian soil after 'very easy' start

Video credit: TNT Sports

The two-time Tour de France winner is now relishing the arrival of tougher terrain, with the remainder of the Giro live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

"I'm definitely very excited for it," Vingegaard added. "I feel like the real Giro can start now. Of course it was a nice start in Bulgaria, but it was also a very easy start."

Vingegaard is bidding to complete his set of Grand Tour titles in Italy, having already won the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023, and the Vuelta a Espana in 2025.

Vingegaard loses key domestique Kelderman

While Vingegaard was in a chipper mood as the race arrived in Italy, Visma-Lease a Bike were dealt a setback with the loss of Wilco Kelderman.

Kelderman was among the riders caught up in the huge crash during treacherous conditions on Stage 2 in Bulgaria.

Although he made it through to the first rest day, Visma confirmed the Dutchman was "still experiencing lingering effects from the crash" and had withdrawn from the race.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG duo Marc Soler and Jay Vine abandoned immediately after the crash, while a bloodied Adam Yates pulled out before Stage 3 despite remounting and finishing more than 13 minutes behind the leaders.

Adne Holter (Uno-X Mobility), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) and Andrea Vendrame (Jayco AlUla) were also forced to abandon after the incident.

Kelderman looked favourite to win the pandemic-delayed Giro in 2020 in the final week, only to fade as Tao Geoghegan Hart claimed a surprise victory.

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