"I hear from good sources that Jonas Vingegaard is more than ready" - Former Visma rider Laurens De Plus shares his knowledge of defending Tour de France champion

Very rarely in recent years has so much discussion been made of just the mere presence on the startline of the Tour de France, than in 2024 and the recovery by Jonas Vingegaard.

Not even a punctured lung, broken bones and spell in intensive care following a disastrous crash at the Itzulia Basque Country earlier this year could stop the Danish leader of Team Visma | Lease a Bike defending his Tour De France crown. Whether or not the two time, back to back Maillot Jaune winner will be able to challenge the likes of his old rival Tadej Pogacar and former teammate Primoz Roglic however, is a massive question. We don't have too long left to find the answer.

Laurens De Plus will be present at the 2024 Tour de France, riding in the colours of the INEOS Grenadiers. As a former Jumbo-Visma (now Team Visma | Lease a Bike ed.) rider however, the Belgian might have picked up some inside knowledge on probably the biggest talking point in cycling currently... the health and fitness of Jonas Vingegaard.

"I hear from good sources that Vingegaard is more than ready," De Plus says in conversation with Het Laatste Nieuws ahead of the 2024 Tour de France. Despite this news, De Plus still doesn't fancy Vingegaard to take the Maillot Jaune either. "UAE Team Emirates stands out, both in terms of team and leader. Tadej Pogacar is the absolute top favourite. He wants to write history and has already won everything this year."

De Plus can see one potential sticking point for Pogacar though. "The heat may be killing him. It is common knowledge that he does not like racing in extreme heat. You can work on that, but it is mainly innate or not," the Belgian concludes. "But racing in the heat suits me. Since the focus of this Tour - the final week - is in the south of France, a warm edition is also predicted."