Jonas Vingegaard starts the Tour de France with a lot more muscle: "That’s what we lacked a bit last year"

“In a way, you get used to these situations, especially in the Tour de France. There, it’s double what it is in other races,” Vingegaard began his remarks to the large crowd of assembled press.

Major rival Tadej Pogacar had already completed his media obligations on Thursday. The Slovenian didn’t shy away from his role as the top favorite but Pogacar also emphasized that he definitely saw chances for the Dane from Visma | Lease a Bike. “Jonas has proven in the past to be better on the long climbs and occasionally also in the time trials. The stage to Col de la Loze is the hardest, and probably my worst day,” said the UAE Emirates-XRG rider.

Vingegaard is a rider who usually thrives in the shadows, and ahead of the 2025 Tour de France, it was no different. “It’s a nice compliment from Tadej. He’s a good guy, and we saw in the Dauphiné that he was better on the longer climbs. Hopefully, I can be better now.”

Visma | Lease a Bike always starts the Tour de France with a plan, and 2025 is no exception. “What’s the plan? I’m not going to tell you that. Of course, we have a plan, but we can’t share it with the media,” Vingegaard laughed, appearing very relaxed during the press conference and even made some time to joke around with Matteo Jorgenson and Grischa Niermann.

After the Dauphiné, Vingegaard specifically trained for the Tour de France, he reveals. “I’m better than ever. Last year, I was also very good, but in a different way. I had less muscle and was lighter. Now I’m heavier, mostly muscle, and that gives me more power. The big difference is that last year I was coming back from that heavy crash. That took me longer than I expected. My body has only felt normal again in the last few months, so that took almost a year.”

That improvement could help Vingegaard in the explosive first week of the Tour and later to respond to Pogacar’s attacks in the mountains. “With more muscle, you’re more explosive, and I feel like that was something we lacked a bit last year, so improving that was part of the plan.”

Speaking of those first ten days, what does Vingegaard expect from them? “Very important. It’s going to be very hectic, and I’ve never had a bunch sprint on day one, but from what I’ve seen, it’s very chaotic. We need to stay out of trouble, and then we can make the difference in the mountains. I’ll be very happy if Wout can win a stage and wear the yellow jersey, but the big goal is to win the Tour.”

In the mountains, Vingegaard can count on a team of other strong riders. “Simon Yates is a very strong guy, but so are Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson. For me, it’s a dream team, both in the mountains and on the flat,” he said, expressing his respect for his teammates, which also includes Edoardo Affini, Victor Campenaerts, and Tiesj Benoot.

We’ll finish with Pogacar, the man Visma | Lease a Bike is ultimately focused on. “I train hard every day to beat Tadej, and that has made me better too. I admire him a lot,” said Vingegaard, who says he isn’t afraid. “If we were afraid of Tadej, we wouldn’t be here. Tadej has very few weaknesses. And if he does have them, I wouldn’t tell you. We’re keeping those cards close to our chest.”