Riis sees frustration growing in Vingegaard: "Jonas was practically standing still compared to Pogacar"

Denmark hasn’t given up hope for a third Tour de France victory from Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike), but the reality is sinking in—it’s going to be a monumental task to wrest the yellow jersey away from Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG). That’s the view of former Tour winner Bjarne Riis in his analysis for BT.

UAE Emirates-XRG set a strong tempo all day on Saturday, though Pogacar didn’t make the first move on the final climb to Luchon-Superbagnères. That’s why Vingegaard tried to lift the pace several times in the closing kilometers, after all, if you don’t try, you’ll never know.

Riis appreciated the effort. “First of all, I have to say it was great to see Jonas dare to attack multiple times. He gave it a go, and that matters. But it’s also clear that Pogacar is simply too strong at the moment. If he really wanted to, he probably could’ve dropped him,” said the former rider and team manager.

Pogacar allowing Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) to take the stage win was telling, according to Bjarne Riis. “There’s a difference between racing after you’ve already won a stage and then choosing not to go for it. Maybe Pogacar thought it was better not to try if he didn’t have the legs. That’s one possibility, but I don’t believe it. If I’m wrong, great for Jonas. But I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Riis pointed to the way Pogacar pulled away from Vingegaard in the final meters as further proof. “I didn’t see a Pogacar under pressure. I think he could have ridden away from Jonas at any moment,” he said. “You could also see how frustrated Jonas looked at the end and how explosively Pogacar accelerated. Jonas looked like he was standing still in comparison.”