🎥 Tour de France is coming! Pogacar and Vingegaard train at altitude, Evenepoel shares update

From the Evenepoel camp, the update was short but powerful: “3-2-1 C’est partiiieeee,” wrote the Belgian from Soudal–Quick Step on a Strava upload dated May 10. It was a 69.44-kilometer training ride in Belgium, and it’s clear Evenepoel is ready to start a new training block following his participation (and time trial win) in the Tour de Romandie. Like Pogacar and Vingegaard, he’ll return to racing in June at the Critérium du Dauphiné.

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.

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.

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.