The three biggest names for the Tour de France are not racing the Giro d’Italia, they’re fully focused on preparing for July’s Tour. Last year, the Tour was won by Tadej Pogacar, ahead of Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel. This week, all three gave signs that their summer showdown is approaching.
Pogacar and Vingegaard are already training at altitude, both in Sierra Nevada. They were each spotted there, Vingegaard with a teammate, Pogacar on his own. Pogacar’s pace stood out in particular. The video’s creator mentioned a 6% gradient, but Pogacar flew past like it was a downhill. Vingegaard, at the time of filming, appeared to be taking things a bit easier.
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Vingegaard is ahead of schedule?
Vingegaard, who was already wearing the new Tour jersey, perhaps to build some extra connection with the race to come, has raced very little this season. However, according to Visma | Lease a Bike, the Dane is ahead of schedule. “If he’s at altitude in Sierra Nevada with the team in May, we’ll see him at a high level. That program also worked in 2022 and 2023. In a few weeks, he’ll be ahead of where he was in previous seasons,” predicted his coach, Tim Heemskerk.
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Pogacar, on the other hand, has just wrapped up a very busy racing period. The Slovenian competed in the UAE Tour back in February, winning two stages and the overall classification. He then went on to claim victories in Strade Bianche, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, the Tour of Flanders, and La Flèche Wallonne. Evenepoel suffered a serious crash in December and made his return at the Brabantse Pijl, which he won right away. After an up-and-down campaign in the Ardennes Classics, he bounced back with a time trial victory at the Tour de Romandie.
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'.