Vingegaard criticizes Tour de France organizers and is "forced to train on TT bike": "That stage is fundamental"

“To win the Tour, you have to be on the same level as Pogacar,” Vingegaard says bluntly. “I think he will start the Tour in better shape than in previous years, and that forces me to push myself more than ever before.” Twice he has beaten Pogacar at the Tour de France, taking overall victories in 2022 and 2023.

“I think that I and the others who want to win the Tour de France have to be like Tadej,” the Dane says – unsurprisingly focusing on the world champion. “I know he is one of the best riders in history, and to reach that level, you have to give your best every day. During my training, I focus on doing my best and reaching the highest level. To win the Tour, I have to be able to beat him.”

Despite his concussion earlier this year in Paris-Nice, Vingegaard is feeling good. “I feel good. I crashed back then and was sidelined for almost two weeks. Since then, I’ve been training for about a month and a half, and I feel that my recovery and fitness have improved enormously.” His preparation is certainly better than a year ago, when he crashed so badly at the Tour of the Basque Country.

To win the Tour, Vingegaard is mainly looking at “his terrain.” “This year there are many important stages and several very tough ones, both in the Pyrenees and the Alps, and also a demanding stage in the Massif Central. In the first week there could be crosswinds, and there are uphill finishes. I don’t think there will be many chances to relax,” he said clearly.

“You can’t pick just one stage as the most decisive, neither the Col de la Loze nor La Plagne, because they will all be equally important,” the Visma | Lease a Bike star continued. The time trials will also be crucial. “Honestly, I prefer the second time trial, the climbing time trial, although that one will also be tough. The first time trial of 33 kilometers is fundamental and has forced me to train on my time trial bike. The TT can make a big difference in the general classification.”

On the final day of the Tour, there is also the circuit around Montmartre in Paris. Vingegaard is not a fan of that addition. “It can be a very dangerous stage. In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about safety in cycling, and adding Montmartre as a finish could increase the risk. We saw during the Olympic Games how complicated it was, with people on both sides of the road.”

The Dane refers to last year’s Olympic Games, when the climb up to Montmartre was the decisive feature of the local loop in the French capital. “Back then, only fifteen riders reached Montmartre together, but this year there will be more than 100 riders, probably 115 or more, and after 21 days of racing, they will be very tired. I think this will make the stage even more dangerous.”