Vingegaard speaks of "luck" after physical attrition in Spain: "Did need a few extra days"

Jonas Vingegaard did not witness Tadej Pogacar's impressive solo victory with his own eyes. The Dane of Visma | Lease a Bike will start as the top favorite in the Tirreno-Adriatico on Monday, and for that reason, he answered some questions about the Slovenian during a press conference on Sunday. Afterward, IDLProCycling.com asked him about the impact of a completely rain-drenched O Gran Camiño.

"I was on the road, so I didn't see it, but I did hear that he rode solo for eighty kilometers," Vingegaard responded to the question of whether he had watched Strade Bianche on Saturday. The victory of rival Pogacar was well received by the Dane. "Eighty kilometers solo is impressive. He will once again be a strong opponent this year," said Vingegaard, who admitted that Pogacar triggers him to do better. "When someone is that good, you want to be that good yourself. I need to keep working hard, so it does motivate me."

Vingegaard was briefly on the list for Strade Bianche last winter but was quickly removed. He debuted in O Gran Camiño just like last year, putting three stage wins and the general classification to his name. A promising first race to the season on paper, but a freezing week filled with rain and shortened stages turned it mainly into an ordeal. "I was very lucky not to have gotten sick. I haven't had the best week, I can definitely say that with the rain and a long journey back to Denmark on Sunday. However, I don't think I've lost anything and have been able to recover well. It was a good call not to do Strade Bianche. It would have been too much leading up to the Tirreno."

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Vingegaard needed extra rest days after O Gran Camiño

"You mainly feel fatigue after such a tough week," Vingegaard tells our website after the press conference, regarding the Spanish stage race in Galicia. "You feel tired for two or three days, and I really needed to rest. The weather was so much more demanding than when it's sunny. It drains you more. So, I indeed needed a few extra days to get back on track. Once that was sorted, I was able to train well leading up to the Tirreno."

The journey from O Gran Camiño was no fun either, it appears. After winning the final stage in Spain on February 25, Visma | Lease a Bike traveled to the center that same day. "We flew to Madrid on the Sunday of the final stage, in the evening. I was in bed by 01:00 AM and had to get up again at 05:30 AM to catch my next flight to Denmark. It was a long journey, unfortunately."