Vingegaard and Visma | LaB remarkably cool after Pogacar's first strike: "Not going to tell, but we have a plan"

The mood at Visma | Lease a Bike was less upbeat after the fourth stage of the Tour de France compared to the ride to Bologna last weekend. While team leader Jonas Vingegaard was able to keep up with Tadej Pogacar then, the defending Tour champion had to concede to the Slovenian on the Galibier on Tuesday. The total damage: fifty seconds.

“I don’t know if it’s a setback,” said team leader Grischa Niermann to several cycling media. “If we had known last Friday that we’d be fifty seconds behind Pogacar after four stages, we would have been very satisfied with that. Of course, it’s a small disappointment now. We had hoped they would come over the top together, because in the descent, it’s not so easy to gain time on someone. However, we knew this could happen. We said this before the Tour, and we are convinced that Jonas will improve, but today Pogacar was simply better.”

What was notable on the Galibier was that Vingegaard quickly found himself alone. Matteo Jorgenson could support his leader the longest, though not for very long. The absence of Sepp Kuss, who has served as a reliable domestique in the mountains in recent years, is being felt, Niermann also acknowledges. “In the end, seven men stayed together for a long time, but we just don’t have Sepp here. We can’t expect Matteo to be among the top five in every mountain stage, at least not today. However, other riders like Adam Yates were also dropped. Of course, we want to better surround Jonas. Today, it just wasn’t possible.”

Visma | LaB domestiques Kelderman and Jorgenson could not support Vingegaard

Jorgenson finished 2:42 minutes behind, in twelfth place. He was in a group with Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas, and A. Yates, among others. The American had a crash on Sunday, resulting in abrasions. According to Niermann, these don't limit him significantly. “He’s definitely feeling it, which is normal after a crash. But overall, he’s doing well. He’s not the best climber in the world,” said the team leader, not expecting his rider to take on a role similar to Kuss’s in recent years. “Nice is still far away,” the German ex-pro concluded combatively.

Alongside Jorgenson, Wilco Kelderman is expected to be able to support Vingegaard uphill for a long time. Like the American, Kelderman also had a crash and, unlike Jorgenson, is more affected by it. He had to drop back early on the Galibier. “I had some trouble with my lower back and stiffness from my crash, just not the best legs. After one and a half kilometers of really starting the Galibier climb, six kilometers from the top, I really started to feel it,” said the stage racer in a conversation with the same cycling media.

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Thus, Kelderman could do little for Vingegaard. Pogacar, on the other hand, was well-supported up to his attack, by João Almeida and Juan Ayuso and just before that, Adam Yates. “They just have a super strong team, that’s clear,” Kelderman succinctly observed (Pogacar himself also acknowledged this at the press conference).

Then there’s the Danish leader himself: how did he view what might well be called a first uppercut from the Pogacar camp? “It’s unfortunate to lose time. But to be honest, we had already expected to be a bit behind after the first stages,” he remained very cool about it. “We assumed we would lose some seconds in almost every one of the first four stages. It’s now only happened in the fourth stage, so that’s actually a small bonus. We can be quite satisfied.”

Vingegaard won’t reveal plan, but brims with confidence about a good Tour outcome

“In this stage, I lost the most time in the second part of the Galibier descent,” continued the two-time overall winner and defending champion. “On those sections, weight played a bigger role than in the first part. Tadej had the advantage of gravity and could gain a bit more time because of that. I just have to accept that. In my view, the descent went pretty well. All in all, I can be satisfied with how the Tour has gone so far. It’s always better if you have another helper with you, who can ride at the front. But the situation was what it was, unfortunately. I know what Wilco and Matteo are usually capable of. They’ll definitely be there later in the race.”

In short, there’s a significant dose of confidence at Vingegaard and the killer bees about a good outcome. “I’m indeed 1-0 behind, but I’m fully confident that I can turn it around and grow into the race. According to our calculations, it could have already been 3-0, so that’s a small victory in itself,” Vinge emphasized once more.

But what is the key to success to dethrone the untouchable Slovenian? “We know what we need to do to make the plan succeed. But I’m not going to tell you that here... In that context, I’m definitely full of confidence. We believe in our approach, of course, also based on the last two editions, which went brilliantly. We’ll see,” the ambitious Vingegaard concluded.