Jonas Vingegaard post-TT: ‘I am back at my old level’

On Friday, cycling fans saw Jonas Vingegaard (Visma – Lease a Bike) put in a fine ride on a very tough hill climb time trial in the Pyrénées. Although once again Tadej Pogačar took the win, the Dane rode well, to lose only 36 seconds to the seemingly unbeatable world champion.

After suffering on the mighty Hautacam, the former Tour de France champion was pleased with his ride.

“I’m happy that I managed to recover,” he said to Danish outlet, TV2, after finishing his time trial. As far as not being able to follow Pogi on the summit of Stage 12, he’s not sure what happened.

“I don’t have the answer to that, to be honest. I felt pretty good until the last climb, but then it went out late. I didn’t reach my usual level yesterday. Yes, it was my second bad day of the Tour, I don’t know how that’s possible. Normally I don’t have one.”

Vingegaard said that he felt he was “back at my old level.” That also means for him, he still believes he can win the Tour de France.

“I still believe in myself and I keep trying,” he said. “The team is super strong and we have to show it now, the Tour is not over yet.”

Although his preparation for the 2025 Tour was far better than 2024, he still had some hiccups after crashing out of Paris–Nice. But there’s plenty of bike racing left, and, although it seems unfathomable, Pogačar could have a jour sans.

The Pyrénées continue on Saturday. Stage 14 is Muret to Carcassonne (169.3 km), with three categorized climbs.

Pogačar now has over four minutes on Vingegaard, however, with eight stages to go.

And remember, this year’s final stage on the Champs-Élysées could end up not being the typical parade stage made for the sprinters. Riders will go up the Montmartre climb three times, which could spoil the show for the fastmen.

Hell, at this point, we may even see Pogi win the final stage in Paris in a yellow jersey. He’d be only the second rider to win on the Champs in the maillot jaune, the great Bernard Hinault being the other.