“ASO have acknowledged that Vingegaard is no longer Pogacar’s number one challenger” - Michael Rasmussen claims Tour de France organisers now see Evenepoel and Seixas as bigger Maillot Jaune threats
Cycling
Michael Rasmussen has again raised questions over Jonas Vingegaard’s position heading into 2027, this time suggesting even the Tour de France organisers may no longer regard the Dane as Tadej Pogacar’s principal challenger.
The comments come only days after Rasmussen criticised the lack of communication surrounding Vingegaard’s return to training in Mallorca, calling it “bizarre” that news of his comeback emerged through an amateur cyclist’s Instagram post rather than Team Visma | Lease a Bike.
Now the former Tour contender has turned his attention to the route awaiting Vingegaard next July.
“I think it smells like ASO have acknowledged that Jonas Vingegaard is no longer Pogacar’s number one challenger,” Rasmussen said on Viaplay. “They have to go in another direction. That is towards Paul Seixas and Remco Evenepoel.”
Evenepoel and Seixas enter 2027 with new status
Evenepoel finished second at the 2026 Tour after Vingegaard crashed out on stage 15, while Seixas announced himself as an immediate Grand Tour contender by taking fourth on his Tour debut at just 19 years old.
Vingegaard had still been second overall when his race ended with a fractured collarbone, having arrived at the Tour after winning the Giro d’Italia and attempting the Giro-Tour double. Evenepoel then carried second place through to Paris, while Seixas completed a breakthrough season which later included victory at Il Lombardia.
Vingegaard wore the Maillot Jaune early on at the 2026 Tour de France
The route for 2027 offers 71 kilometres of individual time trialling, split between a 38-kilometre test from Blois to Chambord on stage seven and another 33 kilometres around Toulouse on stage 16. It is the highest Tour total against the clock since 2012.
Evenepoel already underlined that strength during the 2026 Tour by winning the stage 16 time trial, while Seixas’ fourth place came in his first Grand Tour.
Not the route Vingegaard would have chosen
The Tour has hardly abandoned the mountains. There are six mountain stages, including summit finishes on Grand Colombier, Les Saisies and the Col du Portet, with 53,450 metres of climbing across the race. But only three stages finish uphill, while two long individual time trials account for 71 kilometres of racing against the clock.
Rasmussen suspects Vingegaard would have preferred that balance to look rather different. “I am sure Jonas would have dreamed of one more summit finish and one fewer time trial, or perhaps a mountain time trial,” he said.
Vingegaard has finished on the podium in every Tour he has completed since his breakthrough in 2021, winning the race twice and repeatedly emerging as Pogacar’s closest challenger.
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His 2026 campaign ended before he had the chance to defend that status all the way to Paris. Evenepoel finished second, Seixas fourth, and both now head towards a 2027 Tour containing more individual time trial kilometres than any edition for 15 years.
Vingegaard will arrive there trying to re-establish the rivalry that defined much of the first half of the decade. Rasmussen believes ASO are already preparing for the possibility that Pogacar’s next major challenger comes from elsewhere.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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