Pogačar's teammate expected more from Vingegaard at the Tour de France: 'He is one of the greatest cyclists of our time'

Bjerg didn't compete in the Tour de France, but he did see an outstanding Vingegaard in the Giro d'Italia. “I really thought it was going to be the most exciting Tour de France in years. It didn’t quite turn out that way in the end, but I had the feeling that Jonas had taken his game to the next level,” he said.

Bjerg saw, however, that Pogačar was still in a class of his own in the Tour, much to Vingegaard’s frustration. Vingegaard said he posted his best times ever and was indeed better than he had been in his dominant Giro. Pogačar, however, still managed to drop him. To make matters worse, Vingegaard crashed in Stage 15 and was forced to withdraw.

Visma | Lease a Bike and Vingegaard had staked everything on the third week of the Tour de France. Whether the Dane could still have made things exciting in the Tour remains to be seen. But second place in the overall standings seemed, just as in 2024 and 2025, well within reach. Due to a broken collarbone, Vingegaard had to call it a season after Stage 15.

Bjerg speaks highly of his compatriot, who in recent years has been the only rider to come close to his team leader, Pogačar. Moreover, with his victories in the Giro d'Italia (2026) and the Vuelta a España (2025), he has now won all three Grand Tours. “He seems to have found a bit more peace of mind, because he is one of the greatest cyclists of our time—and perhaps one of the best stage racers ever.”

Where we'll see Vingegaard in 2027 is still the big question.