The sky of Denmark has officially turned pink thanks to Jonas Vingegaard who tomorrow will be able to celebrate his victory at the Giro d'Italia, with the Colosseum as backdrop.

«I spared myself in the final meters, I wanted to enjoy them as much as possible. It was nice to be able to slow down a bit in the last kilometer and really enjoy that moment, all the public and the crowds along the road».

Jonas Vingegaard has just won his fifth stage at the Giro, he only needs the parade in Rome tomorrow to conquer the 109th edition of the pink race and enter the Triple Crown club (those who have won the Giro, Tour and Vuelta). His eyes shine, he is truly happy and enthusiastic, on the podium more serene than ever.

Vingegaard leaves Gall 1'15" behind, for the fifth time second behind the Dane, who beats Hindley and Gee; Arensman at 1'19", Bernal at 1'25", Eulalio at 2'03", Caruso at 2'13", Piganzoli at 2'15".

In the standings Vingegaard leads with 5'22" over Gall and 6'25" over Hindley, Piganzoli eighth at 10'52" and Caruso ninth at 11'24.

Vingegaard continues: «For me to have the pink jersey in Rome tomorrow is very special. I am so happy to seal the Giro with this victory, especially today with this special jersey, to honor all the people and also those who were affected by the earthquake. It is a special day for us».

Vingegaard wore the pink jersey with the inscription "Friuli thanks and does not forget" in memory of the 1976 earthquake: this morning the start from Gemona del Friuli gave us chills. His five victories: Blockhaus, Corno alle Scale, Pila, Carì and Piancavallo.

«The Giro is always very unpredictable – Vingegaard continues -. It is such a hard race, many things can happen. However, my teammates were extraordinary, they managed to control everything. And that is also why I won five stages and conquered the pink jersey. Italian climbs are different from French ones, and today I had good responses: I felt very strong, I had an excellent day, I am very happy and proud».

THE PRESS CONFERENCE. Jonas Vingegaard dominates the Piancavallo climb, his fifth stage victory in this Giro. The master of pink. The attack 11 km from the finish: “Actually, it wasn't in the plans. We wanted to attack later, but Sepp (Kuss) didn't have his best day today and we had to change the plans a bit. I had to attack a bit earlier, but my legs were good enough to make the difference and I'm happy I managed to drop everyone”. According to some measurements, he would have also improved Pantani's 1998 climbing time (36'17 against 36'20" of the Pirate), but the length of the climb was different: 14.5 km against 13.8 km, and the last 700 meters on false flat. “Well, actually regarding climbing time, no, I wasn't thinking about the climbing time at all. I just wanted to win the stage and complete the excellent work my teammates did today”.

Vingegaard, you were wearing the pink jersey with a special dedication - "Friuli thanks and does not forget" - to honor the memory of 50 years since the earthquake.
“It is obviously nice to be able to honor all the victims of the earthquake, it was special for me to wear this jersey today, yes”.

Tomorrow in Rome you will enter the Triple Crown club and join Anquetil, Gimondi, Merckx, Hinault, Contador, Nibali and Froome, the only champions capable of winning the Giro, Tour and Vuelta in their careers.
“Certainly they are some of the greatest riders in cycling history. Yes, being part of that group is a bit unreal for me. And I don't think I've really realized it yet”.

What will you feel when you see your family in Rome with this pink jersey on your shoulders?
“Yes, I can't wait. It's been almost four weeks since I left for Bulgaria and it will be special to see them again. I miss them very much and I can't wait to meet them”.

Your sports director, Mark Reese, says that in his opinion this is the perfect plan for Tour preparation: for morale, explosiveness and the changes you've made this year.
“Yes, of course, but I think it also depends on how you come out of the Giro. If you come out completely exhausted and need two weeks of rest to be able to train again, it wouldn't be good preparation. But I don't think I'm exhausted. I feel good even after this race, so I think I've improved a lot during the Giro. I think it's the best preparation for me”.

You have won two Tours and one Vuelta, but what emotions do you expect to feel tomorrow in Rome with your teammates?
“Well, I don't know what to expect. Excitement, happiness? Yes, I wouldn't say relief, but pure happiness. I mean, it's something special to enter a great city, I've already experienced this twice in Paris and then in Madrid, and it's always something special”.

As Italians, we were hoping your team would fight for Davide's white jersey.
“Of course we wanted to fight for Davide, we gave him the opportunity and told him that today he didn't have to be a domestique for me, and we tried to spare him. We told him to save as much as possible to have the energy to try. Unfortunately he didn't make it. I hoped he would manage to take it, it would have been a nice way to finish the Giro and he would have deserved it, although I congratulate Eulalio because he kept it and deserved it”.