"I expect him to attack me on every moment, I just have to be ready" - Vingegaard anticipates another duel with Tadej Pogacar

Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar are currently in a tight battle for the Tour de France, with the Slovenian launching a flurry of attacks over the last week in order to try and take back the yellow jersey he lost at the Col du Granon.

On stage 16 Jonas Vingegaard once again counter-attacked strongly to the crucial moments of the stage. Having strong time-trialing capabilities, his priority at the moment stays in keep his 2:22 minute gap to Tadej Pogacar as big as possible. "I'm just trying to do my best every day. I know Tadej will attack me, so every day is about trying to follow him and not leaving any gaps to him," he said regarding it.

"I expect him to attack me on every moment, I just have to be ready," he anticipates of the final two mountain stages in the Pyrenees. Today the peloton will have a short stage into Peyragudes after a sequence of several climbs. "Does it suit me? Well, I think at least it's not bad for me to go early. For me, I have the feeling that the harder it is, the better.”

Despite not having Steven Kruijswijk and Primoz Roglic, Jumbo-Visma have done perfectly in the first day of the final week and the race leader keep the condifence high. "I don't feel like my condition is going down, at least. I feel like I recover really well in a Grand Tour. I feel the rest day was needed after my crash, but I'm actually looking forward to the next days," he concluded.