Bernard Hinault's on Jonas Vingegaard's decision to end season early: "Vingegaard gives the impression of loving racing less than a Pogacar or an Evenepoel"

Bernard Hinault dominated cycling in the eighties racing like Eddy Merckx or Tadej Pogacar in their respective eras: racing grand tours, classics and world championships and winning everything he could. Therefore, he does not understand that there are riders like Jonas Vingegaard who "pass" to race a World Championship that was perfectly adapted to his characteristics.

"He's not the first to do this. In the past, many riders who have been in the Tour have said to themselves, 'Life is beautiful, why am I going to keep fighting?' We can ask ourselves if they like cycling, because if we like cycling, we like to race and we like to win," Hinault said in words to Cyclism'Actu. "Vingegaard gives the impression of loving racing less than a Pogacar or an Evenepoel".

He considered the Dane, in optimal conditions, to be a favourite for the gold medal and rainbow jersey in Zurich: "With everything he's been able to win since the start of the season, I put Tadej Pogacar first. Then I put Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard and finally a Primoz Roglic."

"The arrival of new riders has breathed new life into cycling. Riders like Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe, even if he is not as good as before, it is always a pleasure to see," he adds. "Tadej Pogacar, I saw him arrive on the Tour de l'Avenir when he won it. Since then, he has continued to confirm everything he knows how to do. He is in great shape this season, and he is also preparing very well for his goals. After the Tour, he did not go to the Olympic Games because he has one idea in mind: to be world champion in Zurich."

However questions do emerge over Pogacar's dominance this season; the Slovenian has won more World Tour races than any other team in professional cycling this year. "Seeing Pogacar always winning, is it off-putting? No. A rider is there first and foremost to please himself, and not to please others. Such talent and such domination, it makes us dream," he responds. "If we ask Eddy Merckx, he will surely say the same thing. We like fighters, and he is one of them."

No successor in France

"Even though we are a great cycling country, if we don't have the super champion who dominates like Tadej Pogacar, we are there but nothing more. When we have found a Tadej Pogacar or a Remco Evenepoel, who are 1,000 cm3 while we only have 750 in France, then maybe we will have found my successor in the Tour's list of winners," he laments.

The likes of youngsters such as Lenny Martínez and Paul Seixas provide some hope for the coming years; whilst the nation was not far from the top spot with the likes of Jean-Christophe Peraud, Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet in the 2010's - something which currently is not matched in the peloton.

"If we don't have the big engine, we can't fight. Personally, I am a little sorry not to have had a successor for 40 years. We have already had French riders who were very good among the youngsters, but we have not really seen them then among the professionals, and that is what is a shame. Some foreigners manage to confirm, them," he concluded.