Visma sees razor-sharp Vingegaard as the moral winner against Pogačar: 'This is a different Tour de France'
CyclingTuesday, 07 July 2026 at 20:46
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Follow us on GoogleJonas Vingegaard got off to a great start in the Tour de France, but still took a bit of a beating from his main rival, Tadej Pogacar, in Stages 2 and 3. In two explosive finishes, the Slovenian from UAE Emirates-XRG proved stronger than the Dane from Visma | Lease a Bike. But that’s not a concern for the Dutch team, as Pogacar’s explosive form may already be behind him.
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The battle for seconds between Vingegaard and Pogacar was intriguing in the early stages. Visma | Lease a Bike won the team time trial, 12 seconds ahead of UAE. A day later, the team from the Emirates struck back, with Pogacar breaking away from Vingegaard and having enough in reserve to let his teammate Isaac del Toro take the stage win. By doing so, Vingegaard managed to stay in contention—and keep the yellow jersey.
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In the third stage, UAE Emirates-XRG really flexed its muscles by controlling a breakaway-oriented stage and thus paving the way for Pogacar on the final climb. Pogi was dominant, claiming the stage win, 10 bonus seconds, and a 2-second lead over Vingegaard in the overall standings. This put both riders level on time in the general classification, with Pogacar holding a slight edge for the yellow jersey.
The world champion gave up that jersey to a breakaway rider in Stage 4, knowing that Stage 5 would offer the first opportunity for sprinters in Pau. This means that after Tuesday, Pogacar can head straight to the team bus on Wednesday as well, without any media obligations. After all, he was no longer wearing yellow, green, polka dots, or white after the fourth stage.
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Tadej Pogacar
Visma | Lease a bike looks ahead after pogacar's attacks
The action in the first few days didn’t cost Vingegaard any time on Pogacar, thanks to the team time trial. Team director Marc Reef was therefore able to look back with satisfaction on the fourth day. Because: “It wasn’t a matter of waiting and seeing in Stage 3, was it? We have to be honest—these kinds of finishes are Pogacar’s territory.”
Explosive, punchy... Vingegaard was still keeping pace in that regard in 2025, but he did make a slightly weaker impression on days 2 and 3. “It’s always been that way. Pogacar is good on longer climbs, but he’s even better at those explosive bursts. He wins group sprints and is one of the few general classification riders who can do that. You have to be honest about that, and what Jonas is doing is really impressive.”
Vingegaard finished second in the third stage and thus also finished in the same time on day two. “He was still the best of the bunch and edged out Seixas and Carapaz by a hair. He’s doing very well, and we can see that in him. He’s feeling good after the Giro d’Italia, has had a good preparation leading up to the Tour, and we’re pleased with what we’re seeing,” said Reef.
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Vingegaard fell just short of Pogacar in a thrilling finish
Vingegaard is in top form ahead of his showdown with Pogacar
The satisfaction at Visma | Lease a Bike is no surprise, because while last year’s first ten days consisted almost exclusively of uphill sprints, things will be different in 2026. Stage 6 even features a true mountain stage in the Pyrenees, with the Col d’Aspin and Tourmalet. “Last year, it was necessary to be more explosive, especially at the start. There were a lot of those kinds of stages back then, similar to what we’re seeing now on days 2 and 3.”
"This is a different Tour de France, where you’ve only seen those kinds of stages on those specific days," says Reef, who has therefore prepared Vingegaard very thoroughly for the longer climbs in the first, second, and especially third weeks. "He’s prepared differently. You can see that several general classification contenders are in top form; that’s also necessary to be able to compete."
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
- - How many times has Pog actually worn yellow now? The article hints he’s lost count—anyone got the exact stat?robert6506-07-2026
- - Unreal start to the Tour: two punches in three days. If he’s taking yellow this early, the real game is load management before the first true summit finish.davidm06-07-2026
- - Grandissimo Tadej! Maillot jaune meritato, squadra perfetta oggi.sprocketspiny06-07-2026
- - Not sure I buy the “nothing really tough” description. 3,850m of climbing in that heat is brutal, even if the gradients aren’t HC. Felt a bit dismissive.cadencekingm06-07-2026
- - Pogacar’s humour about the gels was gold. Also, nice to see him credit Del Toro. That Barcelona gesture coming back today was a proper team arc.michael5406-07-2026
- - Quick question: when they say “break got a free pass” by Visma, does that mean Visma just stopped chasing completely? Or is it more like they eased but still controlled the gap?velodromevirtuoso106-07-2026
- - Sorry, but the piece glosses over how Vermeersch shredded the gap. That was the hinge of the stage. Give him more credit than a single line.raceready706-07-2026
- - Two seconds on a 200m kick says it all. Vingegaard looked glued, but not enough punch yet. Heat management + gels every 30 minutes clearly dialed.andrewf06-07-2026
- - What a statement from Pog! Del Toro’s launch was textbook. You could see UAE-XRG had zero interest in gifting the break any hope today.jennifer1906-07-2026
- - ¿Habrá abanicos con ese viento noroeste? Si se parte el pelotón en los llanos antes de Quillan, adiós a muchos sprinters.patriciaw06-07-2026
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