Cautious Vingegaard, wearing face mask at the Tour de France, on 'very strong' Pogačar and del Toro

Jonas Vingegaard reacted calmly to the UAE Emirates-XRG move in Stage 2 of the Tour de France. The Dane was able to keep up with Isaac del Toro and Tadej Pogacar, but while Vingegaard was pushing his limits, Pogacar toyed with the rest of the pack and let Del Toro take the stage win. Vingegaard retained the yellow jersey, but also witnessed the strength of his direct rival.

"I think I can be satisfied, because I didn't expect to be able to win a stage like this," said Vingegaard, wearing a face mask in the mixed zone at the NOS. "I don’t like stages like this, so I should be happy that I’m still in the yellow jersey. I’m enjoying every day in the leader’s jersey, and I’ll be wearing it tomorrow, too."

Of course, Vingegaard also realized that Pogacar was “very strong.” The Slovenian let Brandon McNulty push the pace for two laps up Montjuïc, and when Del Toro suddenly opened up a gap after the final descent, Pogacar effortlessly closed it. Vingegaard seemed to be struggling more, but, just like Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), he crossed the finish line on the same time.

"They both looked really strong," said Vingegaard, referring to stage winner Del Toro and his teammate Pogacar, who also crossed the finish line cheering. "They took control as a team—that was impressive. They deserved the victory today," Vingegaard said, offering a very sportsmanlike compliment to his Tour de France rival.

Visma | Lease a Bike weren't thrown off by the UAE display. Visma's Marc Reef told IDL Pro Cycling that the 40-degree temperature played a key part in how stage 2 developed, turning the local circuit in Barcelona into an elimination race. According to Reef, that was also the reason the peloton stayed together until the final climb. Del Toro didn’t strike until after the final descent.

"I think this is definitely a scenario that’s a little less suited to Jonas this time around. But he’s still proving that he’s among the best. And we’re just really happy about that," said Reef, who will see his team leader ride into France in Stage 3 with the yellow jersey draped over his shoulders. The big question is whether Visma | Lease a Bike wants to give up that leader’s jersey on Monday’s stage.

Vingegaard stood out after stage 2 as the only rider wearing a Corona-era facemark. But why the extra precaution? "Well, I hear there already is some sickness in the bunch," the Dane said to TNT sports. "As I've been sick in my last two Tour de France's I want to be on the safe side and try to stay healthy. It's more a precaution from my side, I don't have anything at all. There's a lot more people, a lot more spectators, a lot more journalists, a lot more things that can go around. I just want to stay more safe than in the last Grand Tours."

Vingegaard's concern about the extra people at the 2026 Tour de France may be answered on stage 3, as the organizers have asked the public to stay away from the finale. Due to the extreme heat and wildfires in France, we might see a spectator free stage 3.