Would Vingegaard have challenged Pogačar in the high mountains of week 3? Strava data seems to think so
CyclingMonday, 20 July 2026 at 08:51
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Follow us on GoogleTadej Pogacar is dominant at the 2026 Tour de France. This is evidenced by his climbing records, which are listed on his Strava. The Slovenian rider from UAE Emirates-XRG has won four stages and set new records in all four of those victories. Not by a small margin—sometimes by minutes. This indirectly proves that Jonas Vingegaard was also in top form in this year’s Tour de France, before he sadly had to leave the race.
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The question of Vingegaard’s form came up after Stage 14 on virtually every talk show and podcast about the Tour de France. The Dane from Visma | Lease a Bike set the pace on the Col du Haag, and although Pogačar pulled away and Vingegaard was outsprinted by a few rivals after the summit, he himself described his legs as "extremely strong".
The differences between them seemed somewhat misleading in that regard, because although Isaac del Toro and Paul Seixas finished ahead of Vingegaard at Le Markstein, the Dane really did leave the duo in his wake on the Col du Haag. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe duo of Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz also took a hit on the climb, but lost only a few seconds due to recovery efforts after the summit.
This led Pogacar to express some doubts during the post-stage press conference about just how good Vingegaard really is. “He lacks that extra punch, that extra grit,” the world champion said, among other things, knowing that Vingegaard would likely perform well on the longer climbs in the third week. Thanks to the stage 15 crash, Pogačar will never know if he was right or not.
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Tadej Pogacar
Vingegaard set records, albeit behind Pogačar
Vingegaard’s form in 2026 has been evident not only in his overall victory in the Giro d’Italia but also in his climbing performances at this Tour de France. Pogačar stole the spotlight, claiming Strava KOMs on climbs including Les Angles (Stage 3), the Col du Tourmalet (Stage 6), the Col de Pertus (Stage 10), and the Col du Haag (Stage 14). These were the four stages in which Pogačar triumphed.
Vingegaard also set records, however, though often just behind his longtime rival. In Les Angles, he was 2 seconds slower, but faster than ever before. On the Tourmalet, Pogačar was nearly 4 minutes faster than record-holder Romain Bardet in 2023... And that means Vingegaard also climbed at an incredibly fast pace, as evidenced by the fact that he reached the summit of the Tourmalet just a short time behind Pogačar.
We reach the same conclusion when we look at Pogacar’s Strava records for Stages 10 and 14. He was 1.19 minutes faster than the previous best time at Le Lioran; Vingegaard finished there 44 seconds later. On the Col du Haag, Pogacar shattered the KOM record, partly because it was the first time the climb had been included in the Tour. At the summit, Vingegaard once again trailed by only about 20 seconds.
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Jonas Vingegaard
Vingegaard did very well, but not well enough
The conclusion is painful: Vingegaard wanted to be in better shape than ever for the Tour de France, and he seemed to be just that. He was riding to win and has already tried to break Pogačar in various ways. climbing more slowly and then accelerating, climbing faster and keeping the pace high... In every case, Pogacar still managed to pull away.
"He was stronger again, even though we tried to challenge him along the way," said team director Marc Reef after Stage 14. "We have to be realistic—he is stronger—because we’re doing everything we can. So far, it just hasn’t worked out." After stage 15's Tour-ending crash, we are all left wondering what might've been at the 2026 Tout de France.
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- Wait, so how did whiskey make a test show “too much testosterone”? Is that actually possible or just an excuse he tried? And what does “excessive testosterone” mean in cycling terms — ratio or absolute value?tourdeforce920-07-2026
- - Great article, but slight nit: Naesen says “no one is going to take it at 11 p.m.” Are we sure? Teams plan everything down to the minute. If the window is 3 hours, wouldn’t late evening actually be logical? Parece un poco contradictorio, no?davidm20-07-2026
- - Sorry, maybe a basic question: why would they test for growth hormones at night specifically? Is it because it clears in a few hours, or do riders take it before sleep? Little confused on the timing.tourdeforce920-07-2026
- - Terrible that Vinge is out after that crash. Still, can we be sure the late test had zero effect on recovery and focus the next day? Sleep disruption matters at this level. The authorities should publish their rationale.breakawaybikerd20-07-2026
- - Quick one: if the French agency can do night tests “when suspected,” what exactly triggered suspicion here? Feels selective if only Pog and Jonas got the knock. Bit unfair, no?cyclechamp4520-07-2026
- - Fascinating listen from Naesen. He’s right that HGH has a super short detection window, but waking riders at 2 a.m. feels way over the line. Test more, yes, but not like this.gearguru3320-07-2026
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- - Can someone explain why intermediate sprints matter so much vs stage finishes? Is the points difference that big or is it just about accumulating on days sprinters can’t win?sprocketspiny20-07-2026
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