"It was a beheaded Paris-Nice": De Cauwer downplays Vingegaard’s dominance as a message to Pogacar ahead of their summer showdown

Jonas Vingegaard has added Paris-Nice to his palmarès for the first time, crushing the competition in a historic display of dominance. However, cycling analyst José De Cauwer argues that the massive winning margins must be viewed in context.

While Vingegaard looked untouchable, the early crash of his primary challenger, Juan Ayuso, completely altered the dynamic of the race. For De Cauwer, this took the edge off what was supposed to be a major test of form.

"It was a beheaded Paris-Nice," De Cauwer noted in words to Sporza. "We saw a very good Jonas Vingegaard, and we saw a very strong Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe... but because of the crashes of Juan Ayuso in the first place, and Daniel Martinez and a few others, the race was a little bit beheaded of opposition. We couldn't measure the opposition. We couldn't see just how good he was going to be, and that is actually a real shame."

Despite the lack of GC rivals, Vingegaard's historical winning margin cannot be ignored. Journalist Renaat Schotte questioned whether we are seeing a stronger, happier Vingegaard, partly thanks to his new teammate Victor Campenaerts. De Cauwer emphatically agreed.

"Victor Campenaerts is truly super important. He knows how important he is, but people might not fully realize it yet," De Cauwer explained. "It's a point of calm, someone who is always by his side. Not just during the talking, but also the pedaling. He is there to provide the lead-out towards the end and can completely rip the peloton apart."

When asked if Vingegaard's performance sent a message to Tadej Pogacar, De Cauwer dismissed the idea, pointing out that Vingegaard's Paris-Nice cannot be compared to Pogacar's otherworldly Strade Bianche victory. As for rumors of Vingegaard pushing record-breaking power numbers, De Cauwer offered a reality check.

"You know what the crazy thing is? The others have gotten better too. Gianni Vermeersch is riding better numbers, the Van Dijkes are riding better numbers, Pogacar is riding better numbers, Van der Poel is riding better numbers... Everyone is riding better numbers."

Vingegaard's next massive test comes in just over a week at the Volta a Catalunya, where he will face off against Remco Evenepoel. De Cauwer views this as a crucial measuring stick, not just for Vingegaard, but for the young Belgian.

"It is not important to look at how good Vingegaard is, but how Remco Evenepoel compares to Vingegaard... Remco Evenepoel should be able to get close to him - not necessarily beat him - to show he is good."

Turning the focus to the upcoming Milan-San Remo Monument, De Cauwer pointed out that riders like Jasper Stuyven and Mathias Vacek showed flashes of form at Paris-Nice, but the true heavyweights were preparing elsewhere.

"As far as I'm concerned, the big guns for Milan-San Remo are either at home or at Tirreno-Adriatico. It's about seeing what an Isaac del Toro, Matteo Jorgenson, and Wout van Aert can do."

Schotte played devil's advocate, asking if Wout van Aert should have raced Paris-Nice instead of Tirreno-Adriatico to benefit from the winning mood surrounding Vingegaard. De Cauwer disagreed with the schedule change, since Van Aert needed to be in Italy for Strade Bianche anyway, but he did have harsh words for Visma | Lease a Bike's team dynamics during Tirreno's gravel stage.

"Jorgenson started riding for himself at the end there, while I felt Jorgenson should have stayed with [Van Aert]. The gaps that Wout van Aert had to close, Jorgenson should have closed for him. If I were the team, I would really hammer on that point."