"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
Cycling
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."
It's professional sport and Pogacar is being paid millions of Euros to win, not to be nice or to make us spectators feel good. Also, the man has what? 20? 50? riders, soigneurs, mechanics, chefs, sports scientists, team staff, drivers, coaches and other people who spend their lives, busting their asses and sacrificing their personal palmares (Except for YOU Ayuso!) and time with their families to follow him around to races, altitude camps, training camps all over the World to be ready for these races... Personally, I'm not sure that Tadej could look Mr Pollit in the face at Dinner after that Godzilla-level pull he made up the Bonnette if he didn't at least try for the win... It's far more important that he honour their incredibly hard work and huge sacrifices they all make on his behalf with an emphatic win than it is for him to ride to make us feel good. The man also does a superb job as an Ambassador for the sport- his wonderful gift of his race worn Pink jersey off his back and sunnies to that young rider in the Giro and his consistent gifts of bidons and a champion's encouragement he consistently and very genuinely gives to kids he meets when riding is a reminder that he is a really good representative of the sport... But... He is also a stone cold killer on the bike and arguably the best professional road cyclist in history... Froome, Wiggins, Bernal, Jonas, Our man VICTOR CAMPANAERTS, Mohoric last year and Gino Mader also reminds us, that pro cycling wins that seemed easy yesterday, might vanish tomorrow. Top form is fleeting and the life of a professional cyclist is hard, dangerous, unpredictable, unguaranteed and short. Such a man doing such a job shares no gifts with fellow professionals during a race... Nor should he... To paraphrase Ayrton Senna **Pogacar is here to win, not to be 2nd or 3th or 5th. If he no longer goes for a possible win, then he is no longer a professional racing cyclist*
A showman putting on a show! Well deserved, with the likes Pog and Remco, the grand tour future is guaranteed to be full of excitement and entertainment. This tour was special! History in the making! Chapeau to Jonas as well ofc ! gg
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- Medical test should be mandatory before participationabstractengineer05-04-2025
- You are completely wrongvappaxbipmv05-04-2025
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maria2024202405-04-2025 - Whatever happens tomorrow... it'll be a hell of a raceslappers6605-04-2025
- Exactly Tadej, the cancer of modern society. Full of good-for-nothing people who gain visibility and importance on social media mocking, humiliating (and worse things) to earn money. But it's the follower's fault, no followers, no "influencers".maria2024202405-04-2025
- Great commentCaralladas05-04-2025
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