Jonas Vingegaard shares post-Tour de France plans: What his Vuelta prep looks like, and whether the 2026 Giro is an option

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.”

At the final press conference in Paris, Vingegaard reflected on this year's Tour, with the Danish press once again trying to get him to comment on the controversial interview his wife, Trine Hansen, had given before the Tour. “To be honest, it didn't have any influence whatsoever. We rode the way we wanted to.”

In terms of metrics, Vingegaard rode his best Tour ever, he said. “In some stages, I reached my highest level ever, but it's also true that in other stages I rode my worst in years. I had a few bad days. I'm better than ever, but it also turned out that I had some lesser days.”

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. “I'm going to take it easy for a week and then start training for the Vuelta. As soon as I feel refreshed, I'll get back on the bike. That will give me just over two weeks before the race starts. It's not much time, but I did it two years ago and it went well.”

Will you also be participating in the Giro next year? "I've always said that I'd like to compete in that race. I'm not saying right now that I'll be riding the Giro next year, because we still have to discuss it with the team. We'll see if it happens."