Jonas Vingegaard draws remarkable conclusion after five Tour de France appearances: "Something I can be proud of"

Vingegaard took second place on the final podium, something that never gets old. “It's always special to come to Paris. It's the end of the world's biggest race, and there are a lot of people. Normally, the weather is good, but today it was terrible,” said the Dane. “Somehow it's just extraordinary to be here and to be on the podium.”

The Visma | Lease a Bike team leader has now competed in the Tour five times and has finished on the podium every time. “Looking back on my career and thinking about what I've achieved, I think it's something to be proud of: that I've completed the Tour de France five times and finished on the podium five times.”

But the two-time winner's thirst for victory isn't over yet, as he said earlier. “Obviously, I would have loved to win. I'm not hiding that, but it's still something I can take pride in. But I would have loved to win,” said Vingegaard, who also received some lovely words from rival Pogacar before the final stage.

“Before the start, I spoke with Jonas about how much has changed in recent years,” said the Slovenian. “We've been racing against each other in the Tour for five years now and pushing each other to a higher level. We have to push our limits to beat each other, so I have to give him credit for that. He fought really hard, and I want to congratulate him on that.”

Vingegaard, who will start the Vuelta in less than a month, can take that compliment and use it to motivate himself.