Vingegaard noticed very positive sign from Pogacar, after briefly cracking himself: "I got my sh*t together"
CyclingTuesday, 08 July 2025 at 18:53
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Follow us on GoogleFor a moment, it looked like Tadej Pogacar was making his first big statement when he rode away on the final steep climb of stage four in the Tour de France, leaving Jonas Vingegaard behind. But the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader had to settle for “just” the stage win, as his Danish rival from Visma | Lease a Bike closed the gap and brought the group back. Afterwards, Vingegaard was more than happy with that outcome.
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“It was a brutal finale with lots of small climbs at the end,” sighed Vingegaard, who finished third behind Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel in the uphill sprint, speaking to NOS. “I can be happy with how the team and I did and with how I felt. When it comes down to a sprint like this, I can be satisfied with third place, although I was closer to second and it’s a pity I couldn't take second place,” he said about the narrow margin behind Van der Poel, whose legs gave out a bit in the yellow jersey.
Vingegaard also finished third on stage two in a punchy finale, once again showing his improved explosiveness. A good sign for what’s to come. The two-time Tour winner took confidence from the final climb, where Pogacar looked to be riding away, but Vingegaard managed to claw back with a second wind. “With about fifty meters of the climb, the pace was just a bit too high for me, but then I saw it was also too high for Pogacar, so he had to slow down.”
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Cycling world looks forward to time trial battle between Vingegaard and Pogacar in Tour de France
“I finally got my sh*t together and managed to close the gap again,” Vingegaard smiled meaningfully. In the past, Pogacar often rode him off his wheel on explosive, steep climbs, but so far in this Tour, he hasn’t been able to do that. Now, everyone is eagerly awaiting how their rivalry will unfold in a discipline that, on paper, favors Vingegaard: Wednesday’s 33-kilometer time trial.
The climber, who has previously delivered crushing performances against the clock, remained calm about what lies ahead. “Of course, I’m happy with how things went today, but I take it day by day. I’ll ride the best time trial I can tomorrow, and then we’ll see afterwards. The difference is only eight seconds, so anything can happen. Van der Poel or Pogacar or someone else might ride a great time trial too, you never know.”
Danish journalist Dennis Praest noted on X: “Vingegaard saying he thinks he's done one of his best ever 1-minute power outputs today.”
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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
- - Qué carrera, magnifique esprit! Niewiadoma mostrando coraje total, pero Demi otra vez imparable en el sprint. Respect to both.sprocketspiny26-09-2026
- - Not sure the article gives enough tactical detail. Who was in the chase group and what teams were actually pulling? That context matters if we’re judging Kasia’s options in the finale.jennifer1926-09-2026
- - Brilliant race craft from Vollering. That surge at 40km to go forced everyone to burn matches, and Kasia still nearly nicked it. Silver today, but the trajectory for Niewiadoma is clearly up. Keep the faith.patriciaw26-09-2026
- - Can someone explain why a rider who isn’t the best sprinter wouldn’t attack earlier than 40k out? If sprinting isn’t her strength, wouldn’t a longer solo be better?julien26-09-2026
- - Heartbreaker for Kasia again. She’s riding smarter every year, closing that sprint gap bit by bit. Montréal finish really suited Demi’s kick though. Chapeau to both.bikebuffj26-09-2026
- - Grande corsa! Vollering troppo forte, pero Marlen con mucho coraje. Last climb gave me goosebumps.jennifer1926-09-2026
- - Kasia was immense. She covered so many moves and still had a kick on the last ramp. ELB nearly pipped Reusser too—fourth feels harsh, but that’s racing. Chapeau all round.davidm26-09-2026
- - Can someone explain why running out of energy gels happens at this level? Don’t they have team cars or feed zones to avoid that? Seems crazy to lose a medal that way.michael5426-09-2026
- - Not sure I buy Reusser’s take that “everyone was riding for second.” Dutch squad had numbers but they weren’t exactly free to tow the bunch. Also, national-team dynamics always get messy at Worlds. Still, her honesty is refreshing.pedalpowe2926-09-2026
- - What a thriller. Vollering timed it perfectly, but hats off to Reusser for lighting it up and taking big pulls. You could see the moment she looked for a gel and the gap opened—brutal.cyclechamp4526-09-2026
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