Vingegaard's pursuit: Refining strategy for Tour de France success

Jonas Vingegaard and Visma | Lease a Bike are far from giving up, but the chances of winning the Tour de France for the third consecutive time have diminished significantly after Tadej Pogacar's demonstration in the Pyrenees. Chief Merijn Zeeman joined for an interview on the rest day.

Speaking to HLN, the Dutchman mentioned that Visma | Lease a Bike had done everything possible in the first two weeks to minimize the gap to Pogacar, aiming to strike on day fifteen in the stage to Plateau De Beille. "Because we saw opportunities in the stage to Plateau De Beille to make a difference against Pogacar, we extensively analyzed that stage in the past months. We had all our riders prepare for this Tour to deliver a top performance on that Sunday...," Zeeman revealed.

Visma | Lease a Bike also went like a rocket, but when Vingegaard started his best performance ever on the final climb, Pogacar could still go even harder. "I praised the great teamwork and also said that we have six more days to try and win the Tour. We will give it our all," Zeeman said, still determined. Vingegaard also expressed hope in his press conference, and Zeeman echoed that sentiment. "If the circumstances remain the same, Pogacar will win. He was much better in the Pyrenees than last year. Hats off, but in the Tour, something happens every day. Look at Primoz Roglic, I don't wish it on anyone, but it could happen to Pogacar too. You have to stay healthy, stay well-positioned..."

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Vingegaard needs to work on explosiveness

So the Slovenian leader in the classification should not make any more mistakes. Visma | Lease a Bike points to the mountain stages above 2,000 meters in the third week. "We will still forge plans, but first we must ensure that we ourselves perform at our best. The climb to Plateau De Beille was one of Jonas's best performances during a forty-minute climb," said Zeeman. And this is a miracle after his crash in the Tour of the Basque Country in April. "I have never seen an athlete improve so quickly through training as Jonas," he said. "His lead-up to this Tour was extreme, but in 2021 he had Achilles tendon issues during the preparatory altitude training and could hardly train for an hour and a half, while his teammates completed six-hour sessions. Yet he finished second in the Tour."

The effects of the crash have been widely discussed; Vingegaard only started training in May. And yet, according to him, he is now better than ever. Zeeman also sees room for improvement. "Jonas will need to work on his explosiveness in the coming years, otherwise he won't be able to match more explosive types like Pogacar, Roglic, and also Evenepoel." Or as he also puts it to cycling fans: "An era of a single ruler, whom you know beforehand will win the Tour without mishap, is never fun to watch. And I think Jonas's resistance will have to come."