Alberto Contador thinks 2027 Tour de France will be different: 'Pogačar is only this good because of Vingegaard'

Tadej Pogačar has ruled the cycling world with an iron fist for years. This year, as world champion, he once again won the Tour de France. Vingegaard dropped out while in second place, but the Dane’s role in Pogačar’s career should not be underestimated, Contador told Feltet.

“I want to start by saying that we’re now looking at a fantastic Tadej Pogačar. But he’s only this good thanks to Jonas Vingegaard.”

Pogačar won his first and second Tour de France titles in 2020 and 2021, but then had to watch for two years as his Danish rival (who had already finished second the year before) took the yellow jersey. It clearly gave Pogi a huge boost: he came back stronger than ever. He has since claimed his fifth title in France.

Contador retired from the sport in 2017, and Vingegaard didn’t turn pro until after that. The Spaniard is glad he never had to race against Vingegaard. “He’s an incredible rider. What if I were still active and Vingegaard were my rival? Wow! That guy never makes mistakes. Sometimes there are days when he doesn’t feel well, but as a competitor, you don’t know that.”

Contador even claims that he would have liked to see how it played out in the final week of this year’s Tour. Because Pogačar has a very different racing style than his rival. “When Tadej beat him, it was because Tadej put in more effort than he did. But Vingegaard is always in the right place, he eats and drinks well, and he’s always on the lookout for the right opportunities.”

"He's such a professional, and I have a lot of admiration for him," the two-time Tour winner continues. After his crash in the Tour, he believes Vingegaard is extremely motivated. “I’m sure he’s very motivated to further improve his performance. This year, he ended the Tour with a crash, and that must have been tough for him. I definitely think next year’s Tour will be different.”

"It might be difficult to take first place, but second place is definitely within his reach, because Jonas will do everything he can to win the race," said Contador. "But I’m really looking forward to next year. What will happen? He’ll undoubtedly be fantastic, and we know that cycling is a lot like maths, but it’s still not 100 percent."