"I think we can still win a stage for Jonas" - Bruno Armirail reaffirms Visma is ready to bite back in third week

Cycling
Wednesday, 22 July 2026 at 01:00
Bruno Armirail during the time trial at the 2026 Itzulia Basque Country
Team Visma | Lease a Bike was struck by Jonas Vingegaard's abandon on fifteenth stage. The Dutch formation lost its main and only 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 Bruno Armirail who finished 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 timetrial 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 only nearly one hour later when Mattia Cattaneo arrived with a 14 seconds faster time. Eventually, six more riders completed the 26-kilometer course faster than the former French champion.

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 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."
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