“He caught Jonas' wheel sitting down” – Armstrong sees through Pogacar’s game on Ventoux

Valentin Paret-Peintre may have won the stage, but the battle between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard on Mont Ventoux was once again one of the main talking points of the stage. On the latest episode of The Move podcast, Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie, and Bradley Wiggins offered their breakdown of Stage 16, and the verdicts were far from unanimous.

The French celebrated their first victory of the 2025 Tour thanks to Paret-Peintre’s late sprint past Ben Healy at the iconic antenna-topped summit. Enric Mas, who launched the decisive move early, seemed set to take the win before fading in the final moments. It prompted a broader reflection from Armstrong on Spanish cycling. “It would have been the first Spanish stage victory in 2025,” he said. “These are things that 20, 30, 40 or 50 years ago you would never have imagined saying.”

The climb itself impressed everyone. “I think it’s the hardest climb in the Tour de France,” Armstrong said. “It’s a very big mountain that appears suddenly in the middle of nowhere. For a few very hot moments it looked like Enric Mas could have taken the win. He could have done it.”

But it was the fight behind, between the two preeminent GC riders, that drew most of the podcast’s attention. All three hosts agreed that Vingegaard’s effort was one of his strongest yet. “It wasn’t bad at all,” Armstrong said. “His team was also exceptional. He had partners up there. He had help along the way. Look, the kid is trying.”

Vingegaard’s team, Team Visma | Lease a Bike, used Simon Yates, Sepp Kuss, Wout van Aert, Victor Campenaerts and Tiesj Benoot to try and break Pogacar. But, the World Champion stood firm…mostly.

Wiggins pointed to a brief moment on the steepest slopes where Pogacar looked vulnerable. “It looked for a moment like Pogacar was suffering a bit during his first acceleration,” he said. “We got a little bit excited, but after that Tadej seemed to be feeling better and better as the climb went on and we didn’t question it. But I think it was one of Jonas' best stages.”

Hincapie framed Vingegaard’s ride as a statement of resilience, especially after his earlier time losses. “You can't hide on Mont Ventoux,” he said. “Vingegaard said during the rest day that the lost time came from two bad days. He knows how to perform well and he proved it during the climb. He was right there with Pogacar on the hardest climb of the Tour de France without hiding. We thought Pogacar was suffering from something.”

That led to the big question: was Pogacar actually struggling, or was he toying with the field?

Armstrong was clear. He doesn’t think the Slovenian flinched. “Pogacar is 26 years old now, he's learning the game,” he said. “We've all fallen for this too, like, look at his face, he's in pain. If you look five seconds earlier he had caught Jonas' wheel sitting down. He's learning how to play the game. Even with the press, which I love. He doesn't let them manipulate him the way they want, he answers them in kind. He's 26 years old, he's getting itchy.”

The verdict? Vingegaard threw everything he had at Pogacar. It wasn’t enough. Whether Pogacar was bluffing, playing mind games, or just biding his time, he remains firmly in control of this Tour.

Vingegaard had previously dropped Pogacar on Ventoux and the Hautacam in previous editions of the Tour, but Pogacar came out on top this year. That leaves one more climb where Vingegaard has cracked Pogacar: the Col de la Loze. The scene of Pogacar’s worst ever defeat, and a final chance for Vingegaard?