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Follow us on GoogleJonas Vingegaard came through the opening day of the Volta a Catalunya without any damage. The Dane from Visma | Lease a Bike was right where he needed to be in a lightning-fast finale and even moved to the front of the peloton on the final technical descent. The perfect position for an uphill sprint? Not quite, because Vingegaard chose not to go all in.
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After his overall victory at Paris–Nice, where he won two stages and made a huge impression in cold and wet conditions, the two-time Tour de France winner spoke to Eurosport in bright sunshine on Monday morning. “I had a good week at home.”
“I was able to relax for a few days with the family, and I really enjoy that as well. Now I’m here to race, and hopefully I can fight for the overall win,” Vingegaard said, making his ambitions perfectly clear before the start of stage 1.
He also knew exactly what kind of week was waiting for him. “I expect a very hard race, with three mountain stages and then the final day in Barcelona. On those days we’ll have to do everything we can. But the first three stages are also tricky, so we need to be careful and focused every single day.”
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Vingegaard keeps his word and does not join the sprint
Focused Vingegaard certainly was, and with him Visma | Lease a Bike teammate Sepp Kuss. The two were at the front in a tricky finale. "Our goal today was to get Jonas safely to the finish" said team leader Marc Reef, on behalf of the Dutch formation.
“We were well-positioned at the key points, which allowed us to stay alert at the front in the finale. In the final kilometers, Jonas held his position well and didn’t lose any time. It was a good day,” said the Dutchman, who spoke of 'a good day.
Vingegaard agreed with that assessment. Before the start, he had already indicated that safety mattered more than a possible sprint victory. Asked whether he would go for the win at the finish, he was cautious. “I’m not sure about that. My personal goal today is mainly to get to the finish safely.”
Speaking briefly to Danish media after the finish, he confirmed that his plan had worked out exactly as intended. “I tried to stay near the front on the descent and that went well. It was a tough finish, and I didn’t want to risk everything for the win.”
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026