"He wants to race, he wants to attack..." - Visma's Patrick Broe refutes idea that Jonas Vingegaard is the opposite of Tadej Pogacar

Tadej Pogacar is the strongest climber in pro cycling and a rider who is known for his aggressive tactics and long-range attacks. Jonas Vingegaard does not have the same reputation, but it is not because he isn't an aggressive rider himself, argues Patrick Broe - Lanterne Rouge - who is the head of strategy at Team Visma | Lease a Bike.

"I think the biggest misconception is that he's not an attacking rider like Pogacar, that he's somewhat 'programmed' by Visma, as if he's being controlled, and that he can't attack without everything being planned in advance," Broe said in an interview with De Rode Lantaarn.

"But that's absolutely not the case. He wants to race, he wants to attack, he wants to show what he's capable of. We saw that at Paris-Nice". Vingegaard is a rider that is less explosive than the Slovenian, and also a more pure climber, who isn't as fit for the one-day races or classics such as his big rival.

Hence, his big talent lies in the high mountains, which means that ultimately he thrives in the terrain where it is most advised to race at a consistent pace. This, combined with the Dane's struggles to match Pogacar over the last few years, have given way to a more conservative and detail-driven approach to their rivalry.

Comparing any rider to Pogacar is difficult in terms of tactics because the Slovenian can make the difference in a way that can only be truly compared with Mathieu van der Poel. Vingegaard is part of a different group, but Broe completely denies the idea that he is a conservative rider overall.

Adding to that, he reveals that he advised the Dane not to race Paris-Nice due to the risks involved, but that he took the opposite decision - also going against the idea that there is a robotic structure in the team where the riders have little say in their schedule.

"He was really keen to do Paris-Nice after not being able to participate in the UAE Tour. He simply wanted to race because he had trained all winter. I even told him 'forget Paris-Nice. It's too dangerous, you could crash... Go train and prepare for the Giro instead.' So yes, it's a misconception," he argues.

It was also argued earlier in the year that he doesn't race much, but the difference in this argument lies in the total race days, not the amount of events he starts. "What people forget is that he has a lot of race days, the difference with Pogacar is that Pogacar races fewer days, but more one-day races."

The goal this year is once again to try and catch up with the Slovenian, but before that, aim for a Giro d'Italia win which would put him on the list of winners for all three Grand Tours.

"Vingegaard, for his part, is aiming for the Tour de France. He has the ability in the mountains, he can climb at Pogacar's level. Obviously, it still has to materialize. But we know it's possible," 'Lanterne Rouge' argued.

"Frankly, for neutral spectators, for everyone: if we had a duel like in 2022, it would be fantastic for the sport. And yes, obviously, we want it to happen. And above all, he wants it more than anything."