Vingegaard’s wife not happy with Visma, Niermann responds: "Should focus on winning Tour and nothing else"

First and foremost, Trine fears Jonas can’t keep up with his current lifestyle. “I’m afraid he’s burning the candle at both ends,” she said. “Jonas is someone who needs more rest and relaxation. You can calculate everything you want in an Excel spreadsheet, but I think sometimes they forget about the whole person and how to truly get the best out of him. That can backfire.”

The two-time Tour winner is away from home a lot, far too much, she believes. “Jonas needs to recharge to perform at his best. The team wants him to win the Tour de France, so they plan everything to get him there in top shape, and that includes a lot of altitude camps. But Jonas doesn’t recharge when he’s spending three weeks at altitude with the team. He’d much rather be at home with us in Denmark to do that.”

“If that’s not possible, then we need to be somewhere together where we can just be ourselves,” she continued. “Sometimes he needs to reset in the quietest environment possible with his family. He’s not like a lot of other riders.” She also noted that Jonas isn’t a fan of other obligations like sponsor events. “We don’t think that’s more important than spending time together as a family.”

The 28-year-old climber has now learned to stand up for himself more often. “Before, he lacked a bit of backbone, some confidence, and the belief that he was good enough. Now he has that, and I’m proud of him.”

It’s not just in training and preparation where things don’t always go the way Trine wants, the Tour de France itself can be an issue. Trine believes the entire team’s focus should be on the leader. “I hope he gets the full support of the team, rather than there being all sorts of different goals. I think the team should focus solely on winning the Tour de France and nothing else. That would give him the best chance to win.”

Other ambitions, like stage wins, should be set aside. Riders like Wout van Aert shouldn’t think about their own success but fully sacrifice themselves for Vingegaard. “If you’re also aiming for stage wins with other riders, then those resources can’t be used for Jonas,” Trine explained. “You can only respect how Tadej Pogacar’s team handles it. When he starts a race, there’s no doubt about who the leader is. Everyone knows their role. I think that’s super important.”

Team director Grischa Niermann was asked for his response by Danish TV2. “We have a very good relationship with Jonas, and we always plan the year together,” said the German. “But sacrifices have to be made to win the biggest cycling race in the world, and Jonas knows that, and so does Trine.”

He couldn’t accept the criticism aimed at Van Aert. “Wout is the greatest help Jonas could wish for, but Wout is also a great champion and he needs his own goals and freedom too. When you give him that, you get the Wout we saw in the Giro, where he helped Simon Yates to victory.”

In fact, it works better when riders occasionally get their own chances. “If you tell Wout he has to go to the Tour just to help, he’ll do it. But he won’t be as strong as when he also has his own freedom. The goal is always to do what’s best for the team.” Van Aert has often been Vingegaard’s most important domestique. In 2022, wearing the green jersey after two stage wins and on his way to a third, the Belgian helped Vingegaard secure his Tour victory on the slopes of Hautacam.