"Maybe Trine saw this coming," writes furious Riis after Visma's tactics: "Vingegaard should look for another team"

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.”

Riis believes that Visma | Lease a Bike must continue to focus on Vingegaard for the remainder of the Tour. And that is precisely what did not happen on Sunday. Wout van Aert, Victor Campenaerts, and Matteo Jorgenson fought hard for a place in the breakaway, with the first two even finishing fourth and second in the stage. This caused some frowns at Pogacar and Vingegaard. The Slovenian found it strange that Visma did not stay with Vingegaard, and the team leader himself agreed.

Riis also saw that Vingegaard was left alone after a delay caused by a crash in the opening phase. It makes him angry, he said in a new statement to BT. “I may continue to support Visma, but I will eventually stop. Their racing style is completely hopeless. I don't understand it at all. After Sunday's stage, you have to wonder whether Jonas should look for another team. They clearly don't see him as a priority. That's disappointing to see.”

Riis does not see Vingegaard changing teams anytime soon, though. "He's in a safe environment and has a long-term contract (until 2028, ed.). I don't think he necessarily wants a new environment with new people, but maybe his wife, Trine, saw this coming when she mentioned it at the start of this Tour. I think it's a shame that this is what we have to talk about, but there's no other team that's doing this. Jonas isn't getting the support he needs."

The Dane, who has often been unhappy with Visma | Lease a Bike during this Tour and even apologized for it in his column, criticizes Wout van Aert. “I understand that Van Aert is another superstar in the team, but I don't care. He is clearly more interested in riding his own Tour than in helping Vingegaard. The management has promised Van Aert that he can do what he wants, and that is going to cause conflicts. Give Jonas some respect.”

Meanwhile, Van Aert stated on Monday during a press conference that he has no intention of stopping his attacks. “I think that three mountain stages are not really opportunities, but the other stages are. The final stage to Paris has a finish that should suit me. The peloton will be racing there, so you'll have more control.”