Jens Voigt wants Visma to 'create chaos' at the Tour de France: 'Go as if there’s no tomorrow'

How can Jonas Vingegaard still beat Tadej Pogačar? That’s the question in the Tour de France that will be the most important one in the final two weeks. The Slovenian has a big lead, but the Dane and his Visma | Lease a Bike team still believe they can win the yellow jersey. Jens Voigt explains how Pogačar’s fifth Tour victory can be prevented.

Voigt knows that Pogacar is in excellent shape. After his stellar performance in the Pyrenees, where he finished 2.30 minutes ahead of Vingegaard on the Col du Tourmalet, nothing seems to stand in the way of a fifth yellow jersey in Paris.

"But Jonas is a fighter and he doesn't give up," Voigt tells TV2. "He has a strong, smart, and loyal team. There are still two weeks to go. If Tadej doesn’t drink enough one day and falls two percent short, that’s enough for Jonas to take the lead. They aren’t far apart. But if Tadej doesn’t make a mistake, he’ll stay in the lead.”

So the odds aren’t exactly in his favour, says the former pro who rode for teams including CSC and Trek. Pogačar has dominated the Tour de France for the past two years, and this year’s race is already looking very much in the world champion’s control. Visma | Lease a Bike, however, won’t give up. The question is: how, when, and where can you beat Pogačar?

"There are times when you have to be honest with yourself," Voigt explains. “Can you beat Tadej in the mountains? If the answer is yes, all they have to do is wait. If they say no, they have to try something else. Can you beat Tadej in a time trial? If the answer is yes, we’ll wait until the time trial. If you can’t say yes, you have to do something else.”

The German analyst knows that will be difficult. Because Pogačar also has the best team in the Tour de France. “Every day that Tadej finishes at the same time as the others is a good day for him and a bad day for the rest. Visma needs to create chaos and uncontrollable situations. They have to find ways to make up time every day. Sometimes you have to be willing to risk everything to win.”

Chaos, and risking it all. One day when that might be possible is this Tuesday, with the tenth stage. On the way to Le Lioran—where Vingegaard triumphed just two years ago—a lot is possible. But it’s risky. “If Jonas attacks with 30 kilometers to go as if there’s no tomorrow, everyone will cheer him on. But if he crashes, he’ll be out of the top 10 and have nothing left. So they’ll have to figure out for themselves how to make up for it.”