Armstrong on the Vingegaard camp: "Never seen anyone make comments like that about us"

If anyone owned 2024, it was without a doubt Tadej Pogacar, the UAE Team Emirates star. "He kicked off the season with an 80-kilometer solo in Strade Bianche — something we’d never seen before. And he kept that form all year. There were only a handful of races he didn’t win that he wanted to. He was the dominant force," Bruyneel explained.

"I read a comment from Jonas Vingegaard’s coach," the Belgian continued. "He said they need to do something to close the gap, but maybe they are up against someone who is just unbeatable. That’s a strong statement from Jonas’ coach."

Armstrong chimed in. "We’ve never seen anyone make comments like that about us in the offseason. They always had this attitude: this is the year they’re beatable, we see opportunities. But it might actually be smart for team Vingegaard to frame it this way: underpromise, overdeliver."

Bruyneel wholeheartedly agreed. "Jonas isn’t someone who makes bold statements; he’s more the type who prefers to quietly do his work and then come out strong. Maybe it’s part of the strategy, but if you think about it: how can he beat Pogacar? Of course, Jonas had that terrible crash, so for me, he was already one of the highlights of the year. To come back like that after a fall in April."

Hincapie, who during his best years was America’s king of the cobbled classics, was impressed by another Visma | Lease a Bike rider. "My highlight was Matteo Jorgenson’s win in Dwars door Vlaanderen. He also won Paris-Nice and is one of the most complete riders we’ve had in America."

When it came to the spring classics, Bruyneel saw another rider standing out besides Pogacar. "Mathieu van der Poel’s dominance was something I had almost never seen before. Except for Wout van Aert, almost everyone else was there, so those two races were also highlights for me," he said, referring to the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Additionally, the men agreed on the Olympic double achieved by Remco Evenepoel. "He even pinpointed exactly where he would make his move in the road race," they said with clear admiration.