Riis harsh on "amateurish" and "foolish" Visma | Lease a Bike: "They were really bad"

Where Bruyneel and Wiggins were already disapproving of Visma | Lease a Bike's racing tactics, Bjarne Riis is even more so. After the sixth stage, won by Ben Healy, he criticized the Dutch team in his analysis for BT. “In my opinion, they're not doing much right – and almost everything wrong. It's just plain stupid,” the Dane began his report. “Since the end of the stage, I've been trying to understand their approach. However, what the team's actual tactics were remains a mystery to me. They were really bad.”

The “amateurish” Wout van Aert also came in for criticism. "He dashed off recklessly instead of waiting for the right breakaway. A man with his experience and class should be able to do that. He completely wiped himself off the scoreboard and would not have been able to help the team if panic had suddenly broken out. For those who don't know, he finished 117th in the stage – almost 20 minutes behind Healy. Well done, Wout."

With the yellow jersey in mind, the 1996 Tour winner cannot understand how the Dutch team is performing in the difficult hilly stages so early in the Tour. “It's just an unintelligent way to spend your time when you have a man in your team who can win the Tour de France. I would have stopped immediately, and it makes no sense at all to ride so aggressively from kilometer 0 when the whole peloton wants to get away.”

Trine Vingegaard, Jonas' wife, was also critical of Visma | Lease a Bike. "She's right on one point. Visma should focus on Vingegaard. That she shouldn't interfere with the cycling race is another matter, but she's right about that. It just doesn't make sense to waste energy here and there. I know it sounds provocative, but Visma is asking for it."

The former sports director of CSC, among others, cannot understand how an experienced team like Visma could make such mistakes. “I can't stand Visma's tactics. I think they're wrong. I really hope someone with a microphone steps forward and asks the team what on earth is going on. Of course, I agree that it's always good for a team to win a stage. But from now on, Visma needs to focus on tactical cycling so that Jonas can make up for lost time.”

And rival Tadej Pogacar? He's having a good laugh, according to Riis. "Pogacar just sat there, controlling his team with an iron fist and avoiding riding in yellow. He had his riders completely under control, had everything under control, and I think he was almost laughing at Vingegaard's team. It didn't matter that Simon Yates was riding at the front. He just had to concentrate on racing with Jonas if he wanted to. Done."

Vingegaard's compatriot understands that the 2022 and 2023 Tour winner cannot just ride defensively. "Vingegaard shouldn't be afraid to take risks. In the hunt for minutes, he has to be prepared to lose seconds here and there. Of course, he also has to take risks along the way. He just didn't do that on Thursday, and instead, he exhausted his team."

The advice? Be smart and save your strength for the stages where you have an advantage, not those that are made for the explosive Pogacar. "Now you have to ride smart. Save your energy and use it to isolate Pogacar in the mountains or strategically place people in a group at the front. I understand that you want to show that you are a strong team. You can be strong, but if you ride unintelligently, it's useless."