"Finally I feel like I’m the same person I was as before" - Vingegaard believes he can win Tour de France ahead of Pogacar showdown

Belief is the word for Jonas Vingegaard ahead of the Tour de France. The Dane arrives as the Grand Boucle on July 4th determined to reclaim the yellow jersey he won twice before as he prepares for a showdown with Tadej Pogacar.

The Slovenian has swept up the last two Tour de France crowns and has been in terrific form in 2026 once again. With three monument victories and Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse wins among others - Pogacar is undoubtably the man to beat in July.

But for Visma | Lease a Bike, Vingegaard's run-in has been near perfect. After the 2025 Tour, Vingegaard won the Vuelta a Espana before winning both Paris-Nice and Volta a Catalunya in Sping. However, it's the Giro d'Italia that was sure to instil confidence in their chances.

Vingegaard dominated the Giro last month as he took five stage victories, dominated the general classification battle and comprehensively took home the pink jersey. Vingegaard reflected on how the Corsa Rosa gave him confidence for the Tour.

“It was definitely a good race for us and giving us some confidence, but also some belief that we can, that we can also win the Tour,” Vingegaard said in a team communication.

He added: “I have a lot of belief in myself, and that also gives the other guys belief. And that they really believe in the plan we have and believe that it’s possible to win the Tour de France again.”

It's all about belief for the Dane, who has experienced a number of setbacks in recent years, including his 2024 Itzulia Basque Country crash that almost ended his Tour hopes that season followed by a Paris-Nice crash that disturbed his preparations the following year.

“Ever since it’s been a big goal for me. Of course, there’s been, as I said, a lot of setbacks, but that’s something I feel like that’s behind me now. I grew back to being more myself again. It took me some time, but now finally I feel like I’m the same person I was as before all of these setbacks.”

He continued: “And I feel like that I’m even further and I’m even a stronger version than I was back then.”

Although Vingegaard may feel stronger than back when he won the 2022 and 2023 Tour de France crowns, he faces a Pogacar who is seemingly improving with every season. The Slovenian has already won eleven races this season, as well as general classification victories at Romandie and Suisse.