"I think we can still win a stage for Jonas" - Bruno Armirail reaffirms Visma is ready to bite back in third week
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike was struck by Jonas Vingegaard's abandonment on the fifteenth stage. The Dutch formation lost its sole objective to pursue at the 2026 Tour de France. That's why some of the domestiques have been allowed to go all-out for today's time trial. Among them is Bruno Armirail, who finished in a strong 8th place.
"It went pretty well; I really had a good feeling uphill," Armirail said after his arrival. His time put him in the hot seat, ahead of time trial stars Joshua Tarling and Filippo Ganna. "I am satisfied with my performance, but there are still many riders to finish, so it is difficult for me to assess the value of my time right now."
Despite his good finishing time, Armirail also sees room for improvement. "I did lose time on the descent along the way, due to a few weaker turns. Personally, I am hoping for a top-ten finish, maybe even a top-5. However, there are still quite a few specialists coming up."
Armirail's stay in the leading position ended nearly one hour later when Mattia Cattaneo arrived with a 14-second faster time. Eventually, six more riders completed the 26-kilometer course faster than the former French champion.
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Vingegaard visited his teammates before stage
Of course, the topic that must've been mentioned is Jonas Vingegaard. The Dane was in a comfortable position to compete at the very least for second spot overall, and perhaps even challenge yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar in stages to come; however, his ambitions were cut short by a crash in the stage 15 finale.
Armirail assures that the team remains motivated, although their options in the remaining stages are considerably limited with just five stages left: "We are still motivated after Jonas's dropout. It is, of course, a great pity that we have to do without such a leader now."
The Danish team captain visited the team despite his injury before today's stage to ensure the spirit remains high. "Jonas was with us this morning. I have a lot of respect for him and I think we can still win a stage for Jonas. We are really going for a stage win in the third week."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- A busy boy!Lozza03-11-2026
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
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