Pogačar says what many are thinking after Vingegaard's crash: 'Are you less focused when your sleep is ruined?'

Tadej Pogačar hit the nail on the head following Jonas Vingegaard's withdrawal from stage 15 of the Tour de France. The Dane from Visma | Lease a Bike crashed hard and could not continue. His rival Pogačar spoke sharply in the flash interview afterwards as the general classification leader.

Pogačar quickly came into the frame following Vingegaard’s crash and looked briefly dejected when he heard that his rival had withdrawn. Eventually, he picked up the pace and made significant gains in the general classification by taking his teammate Isaac del Toro – who had also crashed – in his wake on the final climb.

Remco Evenepoel won the stage – or was allowed to win it by Pogačar – whilst Pogačar and Del Toro finished second and third. However, the UAE World Champion did not want to dwell on the race itself afterwards. Vingegaard’s withdrawal, in particular, hit him hard.

"It’s very, very sad that Jonas has crashed. Since 2021, we’ve been battling it out for Tour victory and, although we perhaps didn’t have the best relationship at the start, over the last two years we’ve become good and respected rivals, and even friends. The Tour de France won’t be the same without him."

But that wasn’t the end of it for Pogacar, who first and foremost wished Vingegaard a speedy recovery. He then made a connection that, in fact, everyone had made immediately after the crash: namely, that Vingegaard had been tested for doping at 2:00 a.m. on Saturday night into Sunday morning.

It was the main topic of conversation at the start, because Vingegaard had never experienced a nighttime doping test like that before. Pogacar himself received a visit from a doping control officer at 5:00 a.m. and, as a result, barely slept. His teammates reacted furiously in the mixed zone.

Afterwards, Pogacar wondered whether Vingegaard’s disrupted night’s sleep might have been a factor in the crash. ‘Jonas had a doping test at 2.00 am last night, and that makes me think: perhaps you’re less focused when your sleep has been ruined?’

‘His Tour de France has been ruined, and it could all be connected,’ said the Tour de France leader.