When he arrived in the interview area, Staune-Mittet was already rather tipsy… the podium celebrations for the Maglia Rosa, Maglia Azzura and the combined classification jersey must have meant many more sips of Astoria than he is perhaps accustomed to. “We had set out with the aim of winning this race, there is no doubt about that, but it’s one thing to hope for it and another to actually do it,” said Johannes. “But now I’m here and it’s a great feeling, not only with the Maglia Rosa, but with two other jerseys. And then also the team classification, it’s great to celebrate on the podium with my teammates, I hope they are as happy as I am, we deserve it after eight days of hard work”.

Sunny, approachable and with plenty of self-confidence, Staune-Mittet is the second Jumbo-Visma rider to win a Giro d’Italia in just a few weeks. In fact, barely three weeks ago, Primož Roglič was celebrating his own Maglia Rosa at the Imperial Fora in Rome. “I liked everything about this race, from the course to the general atmosphere,” Staune-Mittet explained. “Everyone treated me very well, the whole experience was a real pleasure. Next year I will race with the ‘big boys’, I hope to learn a lot. I don’t think I’ll be back at the Giro Next Gen, but I’ve already asked the team to let me go to the professional Giro d’Italia. Hopefully they will allow me to!”

Staune-Mittet is learning how to win and ha already has another big goal in his mind, namely the Tour de l’Avenir in August. Last year he finished 2nd, this year he will try again: the last rider to win Giro Next Gen and Avenir in the same year – which, in a nutshell, corresponds to the Giro-Tour double for professionals – was Gianbattista Baronchelli back in 1973, 50 years ago. “I can win it, I know I can win it. It is important to convince yourself that you can do it, as I did here at the Giro, because it allows you to approach the competition with a different mentality. This year, but especially in the coming years, I would like to win a lot more”.