"He’s cheerful in interviews, racing with freedom, attacking, sprinting" - Jonas Vingegaard showing different side of himself at Dauphiné 2025

Jonas Vingegaard has had a very interesting few days on his return to racing at the 2025 Crtierium du Dauphiné. After nearly three months out after abandoning Paris-Nice with a concussion, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader looks refreshed and raring to go ahead of the Tour de France later this summer.

On the latest episode of Eurosport's Kop over Kop podcast, the topic of Vingegaard's bright Dauphine showing so far was brought up, with the experts on hand sharing their delight at seeing this new side of the two-time Tour de France winner.

"I’m not sure what’s going on with Vingegaard. I won’t go as far as saying he’s fallen in love — he’s clearly been happily married for years — but it’s as if he’s floating on cloud nine," begins Eurosport expert Jan Hermsen, seeing the comfort with which Vingegaard has been riding these past few days. "He’s cheerful in interviews, racing with freedom, attacking, sprinting. There’s something positive in the air around him."

According to Hermsen's colleague Bobbie Traksel, Vingegaard's positive attitude and more attacking style could also be an attempt to send a message to the Dane's rivals. "It’s clever to show Tadej Pogacar at moments like this that he can sprint too — and that he’s been training for it," Traksel explains. "He’s essentially sending a warning. He’s also giving the media something now, so that during the Tour he can say he’s taking a bit more time to focus and rest."

"Most people agree on Pogacar’s personality — he’s a fantastic guy with loads of fans, and that’s down to how he comes across," adds Jeroen Vanbelleghem, posing the theory that Team Visma | Lease a Bike themselves are behind this new version of Vingegaard, attempting to win more favour with cycling fans.

"With Vingegaard, it’s a different story. I don’t know many people who are real fans of the rider or the person. Maybe the team has been working on that, trying to mould him into more of a star," muses Vanbelleghem. "That’s what they want: to create stars in cycling. They want him to race alongside the other big names and be part of that spotlight."

"I don’t buy it. I think he had to join in, just to avoid being seen as 1–0 down in the court of public opinion. And let’s be honest, you can add as much sauce as you want — he’s still a dull bloke," Traksel counters however. "If you’re a GC rider, you’re spending 365 days a year focused on being lean and training hard in the mountains. You need to be able to sit on a mountain, just riding and sleeping. That’s what you need in a Grand Tour, and it suits Vingegaard perfectly. Pogacar, on the other hand, probably tears the whole bedroom apart during an altitude camp!"