Campenaerts believes Pogacar hasn't peaked yet: "We'll need a Vingegaard in perfect form"

Victor Campenaerts made his debut as a WorldTour rider in 2016 with Team LottoNL-Jumbo, one of the predecessors of the current Visma | Lease a Bike team. After two seasons, the collaboration ended, and the Belgian moved to Lotto Soudal (now Lotto Dstny). Following a two-year stint with Team Qhubeka, he returned to Lotto Soudal. Initially focusing on time trials, Campenaerts reinvented himself in recent years as an aggressive attacker, achieving considerable success. In 2021, he won a stage in the Giro d'Italia by beating Oscar Riesebeek in a sprint-a-deux.

This year, he struck gold in the Tour de France, winning the sprint of a remaining trio from a large breakaway in stage 18. After the race, he was overwhelmed with emotions, partly because he had come out of a difficult period. His current team, Lotto Dstny, had delayed renewing his contract for a long time, which understandably caused Campenaerts significant stress. However, Visma | Lease a Bike proved to be his saving grace, showing great confidence in him by offering a three-year contract.

At Visma | Lease a Bike, he aims to secure a spot on the Tour team built around two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard. Regarding his personal prospects, the Belgian cyclist believes he has already reached his peak. “I think I can still win, but it’s hard to achieve something bigger than winning a stage in the Tour de France or breaking the world hour record,” said Campenaerts, who knows he’ll need to work hard to make the Tour roster next year. “What would still be a great addition to my palmarès is being part of the team that wins the Tour de France. I’m highly motivated for that. Making the selection will be difficult, but that’s what I’m aiming for.”

The first challenge, then, is to make the Tour squad. The second, perhaps even more difficult, is beyond his control: ensuring Vingegaard can outdo the Slovenian cycling phenomenon, Tadej Pogačar. Although Vingegaard has beaten him twice before, the dynamics between the two rivals have shifted dramatically. This season, Pogačar was better than ever, winning many races with overwhelming dominance. He displayed a level that few can match—perhaps not even Vingegaard.

After Pogačar's dominant performance in the Tour of Lombardy, cycling journalist Thijs Zonneveld complained that cycling was becoming boring, and Campenaerts agrees: "What he's shown is so incredible. It's no crime to say it became a bit dull to watch. He attacks, and no one doubts anymore whether he can finish it off." Nevertheless, Campenaerts remains hopeful. After all, Vingegaard had far from an ideal preparation for the Tour this season. "Tadej is so good at the moment. I hope Vingegaard doesn’t face any setbacks and is ready to give him a real fight, haha. And to make cycling exciting again until the final meters of the race."

Pogačar turned 26 in September, which is typically when a Grand Tour rider enters their best years. For the competition, that thought is likely to cause sleepless nights. Still, Campenaerts believes it’s entirely possible that Pogačar will get even better: "He hasn’t reached his peak yet. We need a Jonas in top-top form. I also hope that Remco (Evenepoel) can take a few more steps in the right direction. If you have three riders battling for it, things will certainly become a lot more exciting."