“He was the strongest rider and deserved to win" – Vingegaard accepts defeat to Pogacar in 2025

There’s one stage left in the 2025 Tour de France, and Jonas Vingegaard knows the yellow jersey is out of reach. The two-time winner will finish second overall behind Tadej Pogacar, who is set to claim his fourth Tour title on Sunday in Paris. Despite a solid performance in the high mountains, many attacks on his rival, and a strong gap over third place, Vingegaard couldn’t overcome Pogacar’s dominance across the three-week race. Even when he managed to distance Pogacar on a summit finish on Friday’s stage 19, someone else got there first.

Vingegaard crossed the line ahead of Pogacar on the climb to La Plagne, but Thymen Arensman had already sealed the stage victory. “I was trying more for the stage win, but unfortunately Thymen made a good attack and he deserved to win. He was very strong," Vingegaard told TNT Sports. "I couldn't take my time anymore, so I tried to play it safe and play for the stage win. But that didn't quite work out."

That near-miss was one of several for the Danish rider during this year’s Tour. Although he showed glimpses of his best form, he never managed to gain serious time on Pogacar, and could not regain the title he won in 2022 and 2023. Heading into the final stage, Vingegaard trails by 4 minutes and 24 seconds in the general classification, but holds a commanding lead of more than six minutes over Florian Lipowitz in third.

Looking back on the race, Vingegaard was clear-eyed about where things stood. “Tadej was extremely strong. He was the strongest rider and deserved to win. I have to accept that, and I'm doing so now.”

The final stage in Paris won’t change the overall standings, but it will close the book on a Tour where Vingegaard fought hard, but couldn’t match Pogacar’s relentless pace this year.