"He knows me really well" - Vingegaard admits disappointment after longtime coach moves to Red Bull - BORA -Hansgrohe

Jonas Vingegaard reckons 'time will tell' the full story of how his former coach joining rival team Red Bull - BORA -Hansgrohe will impact the team. The Dane's team Visma | Lease a Bike confirmed earlier this year that Tim Heemskerk left the team after forming a fruitful partnership with Vingegaard.

The pair worked together for several years during Heemskerk's eight years with the team, working closely together as Vingegaard rose from a promising climber to top level grand tour rider - winning the 2022 and 2023 Tour de France as well as the 2025 Vuelta a Espana.

Heemskerk's departure represented a shift for the Dutch team, who confirmed at the time that Head of Performance Mathieu Heijboer had taken over Vingegaard’s training. The move has seemingly had a positive impact as he took decisive general classification wins in Paris-Nice and Volta a Catalunya.

Vingegaard admitted that he was disappointed to lose his former coach, he told Feltet after stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia: “Of course, he knows me really well. I worked with Tim for many years, and I think he is a fantastic coach. So I think it is a shame that we lost him.”

However, the Dane - currently the favourite to win the Giro - underlined that he wished Heemskerk well as he joins a rival team.

“I’m also happy for Tim,” he added. “As I have said before, he was more than just a coach to me. He was also a friend, and I wish Tim all the best.”

Speculation has grown that Red Bull - BORA -Hansgrohe could gain an edge with insider knowledge into Vingegaard's could help their leaders Florian Lipowitz and Remco Evenepoel at this year's Tour de France.

The 29-year-old kept tight-lipped when asked about the matter: “Yes, that may well be. I can’t say. Time will tell.”