“Who is Bjarne Riis?” responds Richard Plugge after the Dane openly criticized a “hopelessly riding” Visma LaB

Riis felt Visma | Lease a Bike wasn’t going all‑in to support Vingegaard’s Tour. He pointed to Sunday’s stage 15, when Wout van Aert, Victor Campenaerts and Matteo Jorgenson went on the attack while team leader Vingegaard had been distanced after a crash.

It angered the Dane. “Maybe I keep going after Visma, but I’ll stop. The way they’re riding is completely hopeless; I don’t understand it at all. After Sunday’s stage you’re perfectly justified in asking whether Jonas should be looking for another team. He’s clearly not their priority. That’s disappointing to see,” he said pointedly.

The Dane realized that Vingegaard isn’t just going to switch teams. “He’s in a safe environment and still has a long-term contract (2028, ed.). I don’t think he necessarily wants a new environment with new people, but maybe his wife Trine saw this coming when she mentioned something about it at the start of this Tour. I regret that we have to talk about this, but there’s not a single other team that does this. Jonas isn’t getting the support he needs.”

In Riis’s analysis, Van Aert really came in for criticism. “I understand there’s another superstar in the team in Van Aert, but I don’t care. He’s clearly more interested in riding his own Tour than in helping Vingegaard. Management has promised Van Aert he can do what he wants, and that’s going to cause conflicts. Show Jonas some respect.”

During the second rest day, however, Van Aert made it clear he wasn’t about to dial back his attacking instincts. “I think there are three mountain stages that aren’t really opportunities for me; the other stages are opportunities. The final stage to Paris has a finish that should suit me. There the racing will come from the peloton, so you’ll have a bit more control.”

Riis’s critical remarks didn’t sit well with everyone. Visma | Lease a Bike team boss Richard Plugge responded in AD: “Who is Bjarne Riis? He’s sitting somewhere in Denmark watching from afar,” he shot back. “We’ve been on the podium in every Tour since 2019. I’m used to everyone paying attention to us. Some people think what we do is great; others think it’s really stupid.”

“For now we’re in second and we’re Pogacar’s biggest challenger,” the Dutchman continued. “And we’ve also won a stage with Simon Yates. It can always be better. We’re working with our experts to improve. We could write the most critical columns about ourselves. About what? I’m not going to tell you.”