Vingegaard proposes 2 potential co-leaders from his team as possible Tour tactics against Pogacar

Jonas Vingegaard starts his season on Wednesday in Portugal in the Tour of the Algarve. We will see the Dane in action again for the first time since August 18, 2024. "I am confident that I can do even better than last year's Tour," he said on the media day of Visma | Lease a Bike to IDLProCycling.com and others.

2024 was a crazy year for Vingegaard, which was largely dominated by the crash in the Tour of the Basque Country and its consequences. "The best moment of the year was becoming a father. I am pleased with how everything went last year, considering the circumstances. A memorable year, but you always want more," he summarized.

In cycling terms, the Tour de France was the highlight, with a stage win and second place in the GC. "I was good on the tour but not at my best level. I am confident that I can do a lot better. Particularly in terms of preparation, the three months in the run-up to the Tour. It is challenging to say the difference, but with seven or eight weeks of training, you cannot be at your best on the tour."

So, how are things looking at the start of 2025? "I have improved compared to last year. At least, that's how I feel," the Dane says. This is partly due to physical therapy. 'I don't normally see any results in the gym because I gain muscle mass quite quickly. But I did work out in the gym to regain what I lost in the crash in the Basque Country."

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Vingegaard proposes Jorgenson and Yates as potential co-leaders in Tour

Vingegaard believes he has improved, but that could be true for the men starting alongside him in the Tour de France in 2025. "Honestly, I don't think I could have made the difference against Tadej with a stronger team. With the preparation we had, it would have been a tough job. But now, the team needs to progress, which goes for me, too. If I want to compete for the win."

"I think we have a strong team," Vingegaard says, referring to Wout van Aert, Simon Yates, Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss, Tiesj Benoot, Christophe Laporte, and Victor Campenaerts. "We have a lot of power uphill and on the flat. It may be the strongest team I have ever been a part of. Matteo and Simon can also be co-leaders. Of course, it depends on the tactics; we still have to figure that out. We plan to win the Tour, but I can't tell you exactly how we will pull it off yet."

Understandably, Vingegaard isn't revealing too much. "We think I can improve as a cyclist, but I'm focusing on myself. That's where I have the most control over the outcome. I'd rather not say how exactly we will beat UAE-Team Emirates. But we are very confident, even though we have seen that they have become more professional and stronger. We must close the gap, but that is more up to Mathieu Heijboer. I believe that I can beat Pogacar. My strength was riding at altitude two years ago, but he was also outstanding last year."

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Vingegaard discusses his doubts about the Giro: "What will the weather be like? How fast do I have to ride?"

After the Volta ao Algarve, he will first participate in Paris-Nice and the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya. This means he will not return to the Basque Country. "Not because of the crash, but more because I have already done that race every year. Last year, I would have liked to have done something different, but now we have actually made the decision. I would also like to try the Volta a Catalunya."

After Catalunya, Vingegaard will take a break. "We will do the usual, with a high altitude training camp in May, the Dauphiné, an additional high altitude training camp, and then the Tour," the Dane says. For a moment, it seemed that the Giro was a serious option. "We did think about the Giro and talked about it. All options were on the table, and we discussed riding the Giro. However, we realized fairly quickly that the Tour is always the main goal so that the Giro would be partly in preparation for it. But there are many factors involved."

"What's the Giro like? What will the weather be like? How fast do you have to ride there?" Vingegaard sums up. "You can't control any of that, which you can at the training camp. We thought that would be better." He will also not be riding in the Ardennes classics this year. "Liège was not an option. I will ride three races and then take a break before everything is focused on the Tour."

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Vingegaard still planning on racing at the World Championships in Rwanda

After the Tour, he will also ride the Vuelta - if all goes well - and the World Championships for the first time. "The World Championships are on the schedule now, but anything can happen. That was also the case last year, but I was already mentally exhausted after the Tour. I managed to hold on until after the Tour of Poland, but that was enough. In any other way, it would have been too much."

After six months without competition, that ambition has returned. Vingegaard has been preparing for his first race of 2025 in Mallorca. "This will be my first participation in the Volta ao Algarve, which definitely adds extra motivation," he said via his team's communication. "I hope I can immediately compete for the overall win, although I primarily see the race as preparation for my bigger goals later in the season. It's great to be surrounded by such a strong team from the start, with Wout, Sepp Kuss, Tiesj Benoot, Wilco Kelderman, Ben Tulett, and Loe van Belle. I'm excited to pin on a race number again."  

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Preview Tour of the Algarve 2025 | Van Aert, Vingegaard, Roglic, and so on....

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