"Without Pogacar, I probably would have won five Grand Tours by now" - Comparisons with Pogacar motivates Jonas Vingegaard
Cycling
There is no doubt that cycling today is totally marked by the rivalry between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar. Although the Slovenian also clashes with Mathieu van der Poel in the Monuments, the duels he fights with the star of Visma | Lease a Bike at the Tour de France are unparalleled. Thanks to the two of them, this era will be remembered as one of the most beautiful and highest level in history.
So far, Vingegaard and Pogacar have dueled as Tour de France favorites in 5 editions. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider won two, in 2022 and 2023, and the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider has taken 3, those of 2021, 2024 and 2025 (in 2020 he faced another Visma star, then it was Primoz Roglic).
Fans often wonder what would have happened if one of the two riders hadn't matched up with the other. Jonas Vingegaard has it very clear, as he told Marca on the last rest day of the current Vuelta a Espana 2025 (which he leads).
"Without Pogacar, I probably would have won five Grand Tours by now. It would be nice, but at the same time, it's nice to race against him. He's a good guy, and it's nice to have a rivalry like this. I could have won either this year or last year. Also, maybe at my first Grand Tour in 2021, but you never know," Jonas Vingegaard began by pointing out about his fight against the Slovenian.
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As mentioned, Vingegaard is currently at the Vuelta a Espana. Before stage 17, the Visma leader holds the red jersey with almost 50 seconds ahead of Joao Almeida - another great climber from the Emirati team. As it appears, Vingegaard fatigued by the recent Tour de France is not in his most competitive shape which adds an extra tension to the red battle. But even then, the Dane is yet to stumble on his path to overall victory.
"I don't get tired of the comparison with Tadej. On the contrary, I think it motivates me because he is the best rider in the world today. If I want to win a race, I have to beat Pogacar. That gives me more motivation to improve," added the two-time Tour de France winner.
Jonas Vingegaard leads the Vuelta a Espana in the absence of Tadej Pogacar
The dream of the Giro d'Italia
Should he win this Vuelta a Espana, Jonas Vingegaard would add a third Grand Tour title to his palmares. Then the next goal would be obvious - to try and complete his collection at the Giro d'Italia - a race he has not even tried yet. If the Visma | Lease a Bike rider indeed wins this Vuelta that could change in 2026.
"Right now I have two Tours de France. If I win the Vuelta, I would have two of the three Grand Tours. It would be very important for me to conquer all three in my palmarès. So yes, I would like to go to the Giro d'Italia," Vingegaard confessed.
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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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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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