Jonas Vingegaard flew to the front on the descent, but had no interest in a Catalan sprint

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.”

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.”