"Halfway through the stage I had to switch my mindset" - Jonas Vingegaard admits the fight for the win is over at 2024 Tour de France

There will be no third successive Tour de France victory for Jonas Vingegaard, barring a miracle on the final two stages. After another destructive display by Tadej Pogacar on stage 19, Vingegaard is now languishing over five minutes down in the general classification.

"I was not on a good day," Vingegaard admits afterwards in conversation with ITV Sport. "Halfway through the stage I had to switch my mindset from trying to go for the win and that was also the reason we had Matteo Jorgenson and Wilco Kelderman in the breakaway in the first place, to have satellite riders if I wanted to go."

Instead of Vingegaard attacking though, it turned into Vingegaard being attacked as Pogacar laid down the gauntlet once more with around 9km to go, with the Dane unable to answer his great rival. "Instead of attacking, I had to try and follow," Vingegaard explains. "Then we gave the chance to Matteo that he could try for the stage win and he did an incredible job."

Sadly for Jorgenson however, Pogacar, who was around three minutes down when he started his attack, managed to catch the American with 2km to go, and then put a further 21 seconds into him before the line. "Unfortunately he was caught in the end, but that's how it is," Vingegaard assesses ruefully.

"Maybe something is catching up with me now," Vingegaard concludes, noting his ruined preparation for this Tour after a horrific crash at the Itzulia Basque Country earlier this year. "I think it's normal that with only one and a half months of preparation. I said from the start it would be crazy if I could fight for the win with one and half months but I did it for two and a half weeks. Now, the fight for the win is over."