"It's just a culmination after another hard day. Now it has been almost three weeks and he has fought every single day and given everything he has," Trine reflected afterwards in conversation with
Ekstra Bladet, explaining her husband's deep emotions in the immediate aftermath of the disappointment. "He is very emotional - we both are - so it just has to come out."
For a long while, even being present at the start line this year looked a difficult task for Vingegaard following numerous broken bones, a punctured lung and time spent in intensive care following a horrific Itzulia Basque Country crash earlier this year. So to put up such a strong fight against probably the best version of Tadej Pogacar we've ever seen, there is still plenty of reason to be positive for the Dane.
"After everything we have been through, you don't have time to process it. Quickly after the crash we were in 'mode' again to make a plan for the Tour. So there is a lot inside one that has not come out," says Trine Vingegaard. "It depends on how you measure it - whether he's hitting or not. I do think he's hitting his stride. It's clear that he wants to win. But the fact that he just finishes is a total success for us. And the fact that he's won a stage is a mega bonus."