Sharp, meticulous and always ready to sacrifice. Victor Campenaerts has presented himself at his sixth Giro d'Italia in a completely different role compared to the past. The former world hour record holder is no longer just a time trial specialist or a stage hunter: today he is the "bodyguard" of Jonas Vingegaard, the man tasked with protecting the Visma-Lease a Bike captain in the race for the pink jersey.

Five years after his last participation in the Giro, Campenaerts returns to Italy's most beloved race with a precise mission: to help Vingegaard conquer the Trofeo Senza Fine. And when it was the Dane who asked him to be there, the answer could only be immediate.

The chemistry between Campenaerts and Vingegaard has become one of the central elements of the Dutch team. Since joining Visma-Lease a Bike in 2025, the Belgian has been at the side of the two-time Tour winner in every Grand Tour they've raced together.

Vingegaard himself has admitted with irony that he largely decides his teammate's seasonal program: an enormous vote of confidence in a rider who has completely reinvented himself over the years.

Campenaerts, however, lives this responsibility naturally. For him, being a domestique doesn't just mean pulling the group or carrying water bottles, but guaranteeing safety and peace of mind for the leader. During this year's Paris-Nice, for example, it was he who prepared a special thermal suit to protect Vingegaard from the cold.

Campenaerts' sporting history is particular. For years he was the symbol of individualism in cycling: a time trial man, obsessed with details and personal performance. Today, however, he is considered one of the most reliable domestiques in the peloton.

And he himself explains how this transformation happened: "I didn't know what a good domestique was, and honestly I didn't even care".

Before becoming a team player, Campenaerts went through an intermediate phase as a classics rider. It was precisely there that he began to understand the value of collective dynamics and the appeal of cycling experienced as a team sport.

Today that perfectionism that once served only his time trials has become a weapon in service of the captain. Campenaerts remains one of the most meticulous riders in the group. On the eve of the Giro he underwent a DEXA scan, the scan used to measure body composition. The result? An impressive 4.9% body fat, exactly as at the start of last year's Tour.

For him, however, this is not about extreme sacrifices, but about work built over time: "In November I don't check anything, in December I eat more healthily and from mid-January I start weighing everything".

Even a simple lunch with his girlfriend is preceded by careful checks. Campenaerts jokes about his favorite places — the "hipster bars" with toast and avocado — but behind the irony lies the mentality of an athlete who leaves nothing to chance.

Between 2017 and 2021 Campenaerts participated in the Giro d'Italia five consecutive times, experiencing memorable moments: from the pink jersey almost won in Jerusalem by just two seconds to the stage victory achieved in 2021.

For this reason the call of the pink race was irresistible. "For me the Trofeo Senza Fine remains the most beautiful of all". Although this time his personal objective takes a back seat. Everything revolves around Vingegaard, the great favorite for the final victory. Campenaerts, however, urges caution: the absence of some major rivals doesn't automatically make the path to Rome simple.

The Belgian will probably not wear the pink jersey, nor will he be the most anticipated rider on the big climbs. But his role could be as decisive as that of the champions. In modern cycling, Grand Tours are also won thanks to figures like him: riders capable of sacrificing personal ambitions to protect the leader in the crucial moments of the race.

And perhaps this is precisely the greatest evolution of Victor Campenaerts' career: from solitary specialist to indispensable man for team success.