“He’s often at his best in the third week... We’re really confident" - Vingegaard's Tour de France teammate backs Visma leader to beat Pogacar
CyclingSaturday, 18 July 2026 at 09:27
Jonas Vingegaard's Tour de France teammate Bruno Armirail thinks that his leader could come good in the final week of the race and put himself in the frame for the yellow jersey, despite Tadej Pogacar's dominance and huge lead.
World champion Tadej Pogacar has asserted his authority over the two stages that proved difference-makers in the general classification, taking solo wins on stages 6 and 10 as he decisively got away from Vingegaard and the podium contenders.
As the peloton come off some high-speed sprint and breakaway days, and with Pogacar's lead now standing at 3:36 over Vingegaard, a mountain feast weekend could potentially put the race for yellow to bed or open int back up if things go to plan for Visma.
However, with Matteo Jorgenson suffering with illness and Sepp Kuss and Davide Piganzoli the only high mountain support remaining, it remains to be seen how Visma can overpower an in-form team around Pogacar.
Nonetheless, Armirail insists Vingegaard's form is good heading into a tough weekend, and that confidence is high within the Dutch team's ranks.
“Jonas is in good form. We’ll see what happens this weekend," Armirial told IDL Procycling.
Visma and Vingegaard hope for final week form
"In any case, we’re confident and we hope he’ll at least hold onto second place… and, why not, that he’ll take first place.”
Even in the best possible scenario, the French rider doesn't think Vingegaard will be in yellow after this weekend. However, he believes Vingegaard's climbing level is similar to Pogacar, noting the stage 6 Col du Tourmalet ascent where Pogacar's acceleration proved the difference even when the two seemed to climb at a similar pace - with Pogacar expanding his lead on the descent and a shallow climb afterwards.
"That won't be this weekend. Because there’s a big difference, after all. But maybe toward the end of the Tour.
“We saw on the Tourmalet that he didn’t finish the climb too far behind. The difference was made on the descent afterward. If we really focus on the Tourmalet itself, he loses a little time due to PogaCar’s acceleration, but then he climbs at almost the same pace.”
Armirail backs Vingegaard to show final week form
For Armirail, what motivates the rouleur to guide his leader through the flat valleys and pace early climbs is the belief that he can topple Pogacar. He's aware a Giro d'Italia in May could weigh heavily on Vingegaard but thinks they can produce a good result.
“He’s often at his best in the third week, so we’ll see how it goes. We’re really confident. We’ll see how he recovers, how we recover, and how Tadej recovers."
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He added: “Jonas has, of course, ridden the Giro, so he might be a bit tired. The third week will be very tough, and during that time we’ll do everything we can to achieve the best possible result.”
It's the Dane's calmness that struck Armirail after arriving at the team this season. Describing Vingegaard as 'zen', he believes he inspires confidence in his teammates.
He concluded: “He’s a really calm rider and leader. That’s really great. He’s very zen, so that’s really cool. It’s better than a team leader who just puts pressure on everyone. He’s a really great person who also inspires confidence."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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leedorney18-07-2026 - Maybe he has a key role in the plan for the third week that Visma have been talking of.Hills3318-07-2026
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- NO... you're not a Pogi fan, you're a Pogi hater, you're prooving it over and over again. Ad acta!!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales18-07-2026
- stoked for Mauro, he is so great and under appreciated as a rider. good for himmij18-07-2026
- lol. another great point.mij18-07-2026
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