"Him calling me arrogant is the last thing I expected" - Jonas Vingegaard responds to Andy Schleck

Andy Schleck has commented on the two big favourites for this year's Tour de France, on what he felt of the two with his point of view on the ground. His statements on Jonas Vingegaard were not so positive however and the yellow jersey has responded.

"Jonas is super shy. He doesn't talk much and never says anything. He exudes a certain arrogance. I always see him leave the bus without saying anything, he's kind of invisible," Schleck told L'Équipe yesterday. Although the statement can loosely be interpreted otherwise, there was a certain tone of criticism from the former pro, to which Jonas Vingegaard responded.

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“He has a right to share his opinion, but I don't care what he thinks," Vingegaard said. "Him calling me arrogant is the last thing I expected. That I am calm is true. But I'm not shy: I talk a lot to rider in the peloton, but I'm not the one who shouts the loudest."

Currently Vingegaard and Pogacar enter stage 9 of the Tour separated by only 25 seconds, however have looked a level above the rest on stage 6 which went over the Col du Tourmalet - where Schleck himself took one of the most popular wins of his career. The final day of the opening week sees the riders climb up the Puy de Dôme all the way into it's summit in what promises to be a spectacular finale.

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"Tadej is someone who is always joking and having fun. I don't remember seeing two such different favorites in the Tour," Schleck said of Vingegaard's rival. "As soon as he sees a hill, he thinks: when should I attack? Jumbo-Visma is more like an army of German tanks: tactically smart, but in that way Jonas is in a protective bubble without too much freedom. He goes with the flow."

"Last year, Pogacar made a lot of small mistakes, which eventually cost him the victory. The blow he received on the Marie Blanque (stage 5, ed.) did him good, I've never seen him so serious on a bike as the day after," he concluded, regarding the day he won in Cauterets. The two look very balanced into the next mountain challenge, where blows may be dealt once again.

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"Tomorrow’s stage can be decisive" - Jonas Vingegaard predicting more fireworks on stage 9 of the Tour de France