Jonas Vingegaard has said he is "really not the only favourite" at the Giro d'Italia, two days before the Italian Grand Tour starts.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider is the overwhelming favourite for the race, especially in the absence of both João Almeida and Richard Carapaz. Vingegaard is the only GC rider in the top-15 of the UCI's ranking to be taking part in the Giro, and is the reigning Vuelta a España champion; he has won both stage races he has taken part in this season.
His rivals, including Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM), Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), and Egan Bernal (Netcompany-Ineos), have not got the better of him in recent years.
However, speaking to to Cycling Pro Net at the Giro's presentation on Wednesday, the Dane was keen to not appear complacent: "I don't think I'm the only favourite. I think there are a lot of other strong guys here, who also have a chance. I don't think that quote is correct."
The Giro begins in Nessebar, Bulgaria, on Friday, before it moves back to Italy after an early rest day on Tuesday.
This will be Vingegaard's first appearance at the race, and also an opportunity to complete the set of Grand Tour victories, alongside the Tour de France and Vuelta. The last person to win all three was Chris Froome, who completed the trilogy in 2018.
"I'm extremely happy to be here," Vingegaard said. "It is a dream come true. Hopefully, I can do a good race for the next three weeks, and then we’ll see in Rome what the result will be. At least I have now done everything to be as good as possible, and I I think I’ve had a pretty good preparation for this Giro."
"I've always dreamt of doing the Giro. I remember watching it on the television as a kid. It's a special race, and Italy is a special country for me. Actually, I've really been looking forward to doing it and now to have the opportunity to win all three Grand Tours."
Asked if there was anything different to look out for at the Giro, he said: "There are a lot of hard stages here, obviously, a little bit here in Bulgaria. There are a lot of hard stages coming throughout the Giro, so you have to be focused every day."
"The Giro is more unpredictable," he said in a separate interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport this week. "You've got to be ready for anything every day because there can be surprises everywhere."
