"He looks good. That is motivating" - Jonas Vingegaard responds to Tadej Pogacar's incredible Strade Bianche success

Later this summer, chapter 4 of the epic Tour de France rivalry between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard takes place. With both riders already having early victories under their belt this year, it looks set to be another fantastic battle.

Last Saturday, Pogacar put down an early marker by destroying a top-quality field at Strade Bianche with an incredible 81km solo victory. “I was travelling and so I didn’t see Strade Bianche but I know Tadej did an 80km attack and that’s quite impressive,” Vingegaard says of Pogacar’s victory to Cycling News before he starts Tirreno-Adriatico on Monday. “He looks good, so we have to consider him as an opponent as always. When someone is that good, you also have to be good, so you have to put in the hard work too. That is motivating.”

At Tirreno-Adriatico, Vingegaard is the heavy favourite for overall victory, although competition will come from the likes of Juan Ayuso, Tao Geoghegan Hart and Jai Hindley among others. “I was second two years ago and hopefully I can at least fight for the victory this year,” Vingegaard says. “I’d say it’s the first big goal of the spring. I’m not racing a lot but I’m still racing quite a bit and for me it’s a nice goal. It’s one of the biggest races outside of the Grand Tours and definitely one I’d love to win."

With victory at Gran Camino already under his belt too, Vingegaard is understandably full of confidence. “I was lucky not to get sick at Gran Camiño. I had a decent week, I didn’t lose any form and I was able to recover. It was a good decision not to do Strade Bianche too, it would have been a bit too much. But it’s a cool race that I love to watch. I like gravel when it's a one-day race like Strade Bianche," he assesses.