Vingegaard kisses the ring on his finger and then, just after getting off his bike, picks up his phone and calls his wife Trine at home. First success at the Giro on the first of seven mountain finishes in the 109th edition.

“Since I saw the route, I was looking forward to this day – says the happy Danish rider from Visma-Lease a Bike, 29 years old with 49 professional victories -. Yes, it was a beautiful day, and with this win I've now won a stage in all three Grand Tours, that's something special. No, I didn't do any reconnaissance of the stages: I chose to prepare at altitude, that's right. I don't know many stages, apart from what I can see on the internet”.

Can this victory change your strategy for Rome?

“No, we only look at ourselves, we made a plan before the Giro and we'll follow it”.

He's immediately asked about Pellizzari's reaction: “Yes, of course, I thought he and others would try to follow me when I attacked. Then I went alone to the finish line and, as I said before, it's fantastic for me to have won a stage in all three tours and especially thanks to the team that pulled all day long, it was nice to repay them”.

Behind the Danish rider came Austrian Felix Gall, 13 seconds back: “Closer than I thought? No, because he's an excellent climber and he's very strong. He's proven it many times, not just this year but in the past too. I'm not surprised he's so close to me, because he's shown he can put a lot of rivals under pressure”.

Then Vingegaard describes the finale: “On the final climb there was a bit of improvisation, because there was a lot of wind, it was headwind or tailwind, so it was about trying to catch the right moment when there was a bit more tailwind, obviously”.

A reference to Eddy Merckx couldn't be missing, who on May 31st, 1967 on the Blockhaus, at 21 years old, claimed his first stage at the Giro: just like Jonas did today. “Well, what a comparison. For me I'm just happy to have won a stage here, the Blockhaus is a special moment in Italy, I believe. So yes, being able to win here is special for me and for the team as well”.