"I still think Jonas Vingegaard can beat Tadej Pogacar" - Brian Holm backs compatriot for Tour de France glory in 2025

After two years as the top dog at the Tour de France, Jonas Vingegaard saw his position usurped by arch-rival Tadej Pogacar in 2024 as the Slovenian embarked on one of the greatest individual seasons in the history of the sport.

Despite Pogacar's all-conquering dominance though, with the UAE Team Emirates leader adding notable victories such as the Giro d'Italia, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the World Championship road race and Il Lombardia to his palmares in 2024, alongside his Tour de France success, not all of the sports experts and analysts are expecting Pogacar to continue his domination into 2025.

In particular, Danish cycling ex-pro turned expert Brian Holm is insistent that Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader Jonas Vingegaard can bounce back in the coming year and reclaim the Maillot Jaune from Pogacar. "I still think he (Vingegaard ed.) can beat him (Pogacar ed.)," insists the 62-year-old on the podcast Café Eddy. "The duel is open, I'm not saying Pogacar will win. I still think Jonas can do it."

Joining Holm on the podcast is compatriot and 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis. "The fact that Jonas is riding so fast in the Tour this year with that background after his crash - all other things being equal, it must give him the nerve to race for the win," Riis adds, backing up Holm in the thought that Vingegaard can do more than just challenge Pogacar in 2025. "He didn't race for the win this year. If he is optimally prepared, he will be in the running for victory. Then it will be close."

It certainly has been close between the pair in recent years. Over the course of their four year rivalry at the Tour de France, the pair both have two overall victories (Pogacar has three Maillot Jaunes in total ed.). Arguably though, no chapter of their rivalry has been more anticipated than the upcoming fifth instalment.