“If Pogacar is alone at the very top, Vingegaard is also alone in the next category” - Romain Bardet defends Paris-Nice win amid debate over field strength

Romain Bardet believes Jonas Vingegaard’s dominant victory at Paris-Nice should be viewed within the wider hierarchy of modern cycling rather than dismissed because of the field he faced.

Speaking in analysis for Eurosport.fr, the former Tour de France podium finisher argued that the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader still occupies a clear place among the sport’s elite riders. “If Pogacar is alone at the very top, Vingegaard is also alone in the next category,” Bardet said. “There is him, and then the others behind.”

Vingegaard’s victory in the “Race to the Sun” came in his first appearance of the 2026 season after a disrupted winter that included a training crash in Spain and illness that delayed his return to competition.

Despite that interrupted preparation, the two-time Tour de France champion quickly asserted control of the race. Vingegaard claimed two stage victories during the decisive middle part of the week and built a commanding advantage in the general classification that ultimately exceeded four minutes.

Yet the context of the race has also fuelled debate about the strength of the opposition he faced.

Tadej Pogacar, widely regarded as the dominant rider of the current era, was not present in the race. Other major stage racing names such as Joao Almeida, Remco Evenepoel, Isaac Del Toro and Paul Seixas were also absent, while Juan Ayuso abandoned earlier in the week after crashing during the crosswinds stage.

Bardet acknowledged that Paris-Nice did not necessarily offer the clearest comparison with some of the standout performances seen earlier in the season. “At this Paris-Nice, they didn’t really have many days with ideal conditions to produce huge power performances,” Bardet explained. “But what Vingegaard did wasn’t at the level of Remco Evenepoel in Valencia, Isaac Del Toro at the UAE Tour, or obviously Tadej Pogacar at Strade Bianche…”

The Frenchman’s comments place Vingegaard’s performance within the broader context of the spring campaign, where several riders have already delivered eye-catching displays.

Even so, Bardet believes the sport’s hierarchy remains largely unchanged. “On Thursday, he didn’t blow everyone away,” Bardet said. “I think there is still a gap compared with Pogacar. In any case he is untouchable if he stays at the level he showed in 2024 and 2025.”

The Frenchman added that even the strongest versions of Vingegaard seen earlier in his career would struggle to match that level.

“Even the Vingegaard of 2022 or 2023, who was actually less strong than the same rider in 2025, would not reach that level,” Bardet continued. “If Pogacar is alone at the very top, Vingegaard is also alone in the next category. There is him, and then the others behind.”

Within that framework, Bardet’s analysis suggests Vingegaard’s Paris-Nice triumph should not be dismissed simply because of the riders who were absent from the startlist.

Pogacar may currently sit in a class of his own, but Vingegaard remains the rider most capable of approaching that level. Even in a race where several rivals were missing or forced out, the Dane’s performance reinforced the position Bardet describes: Pogacar at the summit, Vingegaard just behind, and the rest of the peloton chasing from a distance.