"5 years in a row he’s made it onto the podium, massive respect!" - Mads Pedersen hails Jonas Vingegaard as Danish Tour de France icon

There seems to be a bit of a split consensus over whether or not Jonas Vingegaard had a successful campaign at the 2025 Tour de France. Although he won no stages, and never truly threatened Tadej Pogacar, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader finished a clear best of the rest, taking home 2nd place overall for the third time in his career.

Alongside his back to back Maillot Jaune wins from 2022 and 2023, it is now five years in a row that Vingegaard and Pogacar have finished the Tour de France in first and second position, highlighting just how legendary their rivalry has been. Given that he is a two-time winner though, some have suggested Vingegaard should not be happy with merely finishing 2nd on the podium.

One who doesn't agree with this theory however, is Vingegaard's Danish compatriot Mads Pedersen. The Lidl-Trek star, himself a two-time Tour de France stage winner and former world champion, was absent from the Tour this year, missing the race for the first time since 2019. But, watching on from his home, Pedersen was incredibly impressed by Vingegaard's performance, despite the ultimate defeat by his long-time rival Pogacar.

"We should be happy and proud to see another Dane on the podium," announced Pedersen in the latest episode of his Lang Distance podcast. "That’s five years in a row he’s made it onto the podium. It’s absolutely bloody mad."

It's clear that there is no shortage of respect between the two modern day Danish cycling icons. "He’s won the Tour twice!" Pedersen notes, full of praise for Vingegaard. "Massive respect for that man."

As mentioned, Pedersen himself wasn't part of the Lidl-Trek lineup this time around, but in his absence, teammate Jonathan Milan did bring success home to the team, securing a Green Jersey win on his Tour de France debut.