27/07/2023

"I am also very happy if Primož wins" - Jonas Vingegaard at the Vuelta to win but will support Roglic if needed

Jonas Vingegaard will return to the Vuelta a Espana for the first time since his debut Grand Tour back in 2020. Alongside Primoz Roglic, Jumbo-Visma can boast two of the outright favourites for the overall win. But who will be the leader of the team?

Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, Vingegaard gives an insight into his tactics and the plan of the team at the upcoming Grand Tour. “I'm really looking forward to it,” he opens, naming Remco Evenepoel was the biggest challenger to Jumbo-Visma's dominance. “I hope we can fight a good game. Remco is one of the best cyclists in the world, so he is certainly one of our biggest opponents in the Vuelta. He won the world title for a reason and he is the man we should focus on.”

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After Roglic claimed the Giro d'Italia and Vingegaard took the Tour de France, a win for either in the Vuelta a Espana would complete a historic trifecta for Jumbo-Visma. “At the beginning of the year we made the choice to ride the Vuelta this year, so it was always part of the plan. But we wanted to focus 100% on the Tour de France, so we really came up with a big plan for the Tour. We followed that completely," Vingegaard recalls.

“There must be a plan, but I still have to talk to the team about it. That happens when I'm rested and ready. You have to be there from the start, that's for sure. Because if you are not, you will already lose time in the stage to Andorra (stage 3)."

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Arguably the list of names hoping to compete for the win at the Vuelta tops those that competed at the recent Tour de France. The likes Geraint Thomas, Enric Mas, Juan Ayuso, Richard Carapaz, Joao Almeida and Aleksandr Vlasov join the aforementioned trio of Vingegaard, Roglic and Evenepoel, giving the race a star-studded lineup.

“That doesn't stress me. I'm going to the Vuelta and I'm going to do my best there," Vingegaard concludes coolly. “If I win, I will of course be very happy. But if I don't win, I can't change it. Then I am also very happy if Primož wins, for example. I have already had a fantastic season. No matter how it goes in the Vuelta. Then I can still go on holiday and say: I am happy with how everything turned out, and then I can look forward to the new season.”