If you told Jonas Vingegaard two months ago he would be racing the Tour-let alone competing against in-form Tadej Pogacar, he’d call you crazy. However, he had a solid day in the first real test on Stage 4, climbing the Galibier, despite not being able to hold onto his Slovenian rival.
“We had expected to lose time each day in the first few days,” the Dane told Sporza. “I had expected to have lost two minutes or more by now. To be only 50 seconds behind is good. My time will come. I’m sure my teammates will still support me.”
Pogačar left all his rivals behind on the legendary Galibier, descending swiftly into Valloire to cross the finish line 35 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel, Primož Roglič, and his teammate Juan Ayuso. He now leads Evenepoel by 45 seconds.
“Of course losing time is unfortunate, but at the start of the Tour, we expected to lose time each day in the first few days. The fact that it only happened today is something we can be satisfied with.”
The Visma – Lease a Bike team seemed to be isolated when things got hot. “Of course, it’s nice if you still have helpers there, but today it was just the way it went. I’m sure my teammates will still support me.”
Hinault on Vingegaard: ‘If he wins, I don’t understand anything’
After Pog’s teammate Adam Yates finished his job up front, he retired from the pace. Roglič looked like he was in danger. João Almeida signaled Juan Ayuso to take a turn driving the group. Evenepoel, Carlos Rodriguez, and Mikel Landa were still in the break heading into the last 2 km of climbing.
Pogačar attacked, creating a gap from Vingegaard and securing the maximum bonus seconds and the Henri Desgrange prize. Evenepoel took the remaining bonus seconds.
Pogačar’s descent saw him 12 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, with Evenepoel, Roglič, Ayuso, Landa, Rodriguez, and Almeida 24 seconds back. Evenepoel then fell behind as Rodriguez, Ayuso, and Roglič caught Vingegaard. The group, including Evenepoel, finished 34 seconds behind Pogačar, leaving Vingegaard without bonus seconds.
In April, a severe crash during the Tour of the Basque Country race resulted in the Team Jumbo-Visma | Lease a Bike leader being hospitalized with multiple fractures, including a punctured lung. With minimal race preparation since the incident, it was unclear just what level he was at. The first week of the 2024 Tour de France does not have the traditional flat stages, so the Dane has been tested several…
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