CyclingUpToDate Podcast - "Could you imagine the complete chaos in Visma if both Simon Yates and Jonas Vingegaard retired in the same season?"
CyclingMonday, 13 July 2026 at 19:30
On the Tour de France's first rest day, Jonas Vingegaard was the protagonist of an explosive interview where he revealed that last winter he was close to leaving Team Visma | Lease a Bike, or even cycling as a whole. In today's episode of the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn commented on the surprising statements.
Was Jonas Vingegaard's change of plans the right one?
It seemed to come from nowhere, but this Monday morning Jonas Vingegaard revealed that his cycling career almost came to an end this past winter. “I said last year that if this was how it was going to be, I couldn’t be in it anymore,” Vingegaard told Danish broadcaster TV2. “That’s also why we changed some things. I also think the team realised that this was how it was, and they could also tell from me that I wasn't happy last year. They accepted that we had to change something, and we did.”
The Dane has had virtually the same run-up to the Tour de France since 2021 and had reported staleness, specially as in the past two Tours he wasn't able to properly challenge Tadej Pogacar in the high mountains. In the backdrop of a third potential year in the same situation, the Dane had issues with the proposed idea for his season.
Instead, the decision was made to race the Giro d'Italia, which he won after also capturing the overall classification of both Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya. The leader of Visma arrived at the Tour de France without the pressure of previous years, having completed the Grand Tour hattrick a month prior.
"We know Jonas is a big family man and he does like to spend some time with his family when possible. He likes to avoid maybe long stints at altitude or specific long race blocks," Gavin Quinn argued. "We have seen a different season from him this year, which shows that kind of backs what he's just said today in that he sat down and he agreed with the team that we need to do something different".
Thus far at the Tour Vingegaard has looked a step below the World Champion, however above the rest of the competition - thus maintaining his status. Mentally however, this year has been much better for the two-time Tour winner.
"Jonas Vingegaard in 2026 has seen an awful lot of difference, which is, you know: We've seen him with a new coach, We've seen him go to the Giro d'Italia for the first time and pretty successfully so - five stage wins and a GC win to set up a Tour. We've never seen him do the Giro before a Tour".
"We've seen him obviously do a Tour and then La Vuelta, but that that's a different kind of prospect to doing a Giro-Tour double. And it's definitely paid dividends, there's nothing you can do about the level of Pogacar and level of your rivals, ut I think we've seen probably the best Jonas Vingegaard we've seen since 2023".
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Vingegaard's interview brings back flashes of Simon Yates
Rúben Silva was quite surprised to see the Dane's statements, specially as somehow that situation remained completely absent from the public eye. "It's incredible to read this, read his words and think 'oh, who would have guessed that in October Vingegaard was almost retiring or almost leaving Visma'. And we did not know about that".
"It's a good job from them because these are matters that you should keep private and you should, if this escaped the bubble so to say, and you have the media commenting since October and November if 'he's going to end his career', 'he's going to leave Visma'... The pressure would have been insane".
The physical and mental toll of being a professional cyclist is extremely high and the riders at the top don't escape the burden. In the past, it has often been reported that there was a need for balance in Vingegaard's life between work and family.
But Vingegaard, as a rider who is an absolute leader at Visma, had the leverage to convince the team into making the necessary changes for him.
But this case and its timing brings back memories of a similar case, albeit one that had a different outcome.
Simon Yates retired from pro cycling at the start of 2026, and Jonas Vingegaard wasn't far from it either
"And also then with Simon Yates retiring, you would start to question Visma and their doings and the team had the potential to start going down the road" Rúben Silva. "Could you imagine the complete chaos in Visma if both Simon Yates and Jonas Vingegaard retired in the same season? That would have been brutal".
The Briton had a sudden retirement at the beginning of January, after his schedule had been made and the overall plan of Visma for the season had been agreed on.
In the past, several riders who have departed Visma questioned the strictness of their schedules, both racing and training, and the occasional lack of flexibility from the management. Whilst some riders thrive in the position, others couldn't get the best out of their legs.
But Visma was on the verge of an absolute catastrophe with their two Grand Tour winners (of 2025) retiring at the same time. "And that, that would have raised questions. They would have been valid. People already raised questions over Simon Yates' departure and if they saw Vingegaard doing that, they saw both Yates and Vingegaard doing that at the same time, that would have been crazy".
The retirement of the former Giro and Vuelta winner brought back concerns of the team's relationship with its riders; and interestingly, it may provide insight into the different response that the two riders might have faced when sharing their concerns.
"It's interesting because it also raises the question: Like when Simon Yates raised the same questions, but they weren't flexible with him; and whilst with Vingegaard it worked out, they changed for him because it's more important. Maybe with Yates, they weren't flexible. They didn't want to change and Yates, well, 'then I am going to go'."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Hey Lance...reminder you have ZERO TdF wins ! That getting old and losing your memory is happening now!frieders314-07-2026
- Lack of support? Do they need someone to hold his hand when he gets dropped on the big mountain climbs?frieders314-07-2026
- Don’t cap rider salaries, cap team budgets. UAE can pay tadej 10 million, but then has to spread the other 10 mil across the rest of the team for exampleCrashjames13-07-2026
- Yes, sure, Pog had been injured. But Jonas said he would win by minutes and did it. in two days, as everyone remembers. But he hasn't yet won races all year round,, so people who want to bring up this topic tend to talk about Pog.Hills3313-07-2026
- I bet Seixas has extra cold AC.mrvco13-07-2026
- Now it's clear why Simon left.MajorPayne13-07-2026
- Wondering if there is any other teams at that hotel. Or if another team has anything to do with the AC. Don't laugh as stuff this paying fans to throw thumbtacks on the roan or crowd some riders on climbing stages have been talked about for yearsmd197513-07-2026
- First thing: That's not true. In 2023 Pogi completely blew up. Any cyclist that day would have beaten him. He said himself: 'I'm gone. I'm dead.' Vingegaard never blew up, but he loses 80% of the time when he goes mano a mano against Pogi. Second thing: We have "two" Pogi's... one from 2019-2023... and the second from 2024-on. He will not blow up again. OK, maybe Pogi will lose a stage against Jonas here and there, but he will win 80% of them. Ad acta!!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales13-07-2026
- To be honest, this is at least where I expected Pogi to be relative to the field, based on the parcours of the tour so far. I was actually surprised that he didn't take more time in Stages 2 and 4. If Jonas was ever going to challenge Pogi in GC, it was going to be late in week 3. His only hope has been that somehow he's more durable, that he recovers from the heat better, and that he can out-diesel Pogi in stages 19 and 20. I think it's unlikely, but I do think he still has a small chance.DAS13-07-2026
- Some chose to live/watch cycling with a 'glass half empty' mindset -- must be tiring.b3tlla13-07-2026
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