"It was a special stage for me" - Jonas Vingegaard looks to roll back the years in Massif Central where he last beat Tadej Pogacar
CyclingTuesday, 14 July 2026 at 15:10
In 2024, Jonas Vingegaard sprinted to victory in Le Lioran, beating Tadej Pogacar in a photo-finish sprint. Today, the Tour de France peloton goes through the same roads and the same finale, where the Dane hopes to be able to replicate the performance of two years ago.
On that day, Pogacar attacked the climb to Pas de Peyrol but later struggled as a result of bad feeding. He was caught on the Col de Pertus and later on the two would ride together towards the uphill sprint where the Dane won. At the time, a big hit, but that would be days before Pogacar would begin his uncontested Tour dominance.
Ever since that day, Jonas Vingegaard has never been able to beat his rival, and Pogacar became the dominant climbing figure he is today, where not even the very best in the peloton can drop him on the longer efforts. Vingegaard recalls that day, one of the finest wins of his career.
Vingegaard reminiscent of an iconic win
“I never give up and also that day I never gave up,” Vingegaard told TNT Sports before the start. “It will be the same here in this Tour. I won’t give up until we’re in Paris.”
Vingegaard has lost significant time on stage 6, but his performance on the Col du Tourmalet was promising, as he also looked above the rest of the competiton. With today's shorter climbs, he may be closer to the yellow jersey than the previous week's decisive stage.
“It was a special stage for me. It was very, very nice win for me personally to win there, coming back from the crash I had and some very tough months before that. Bow we come back there… I have good memories and today is another fight there.”
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Vingegaard expects UAE to go all-out
The leader of Team Visma | Lease a Bike is in strong form but on the other side of the spectrum is the Emirati team, who worked hard on stage 9 to control the breakaway and is expected to do the same on stage 10. Pogacar is the ultimate favourite, but the explosive terrain also favours Isaac del Toro who may want to make differences.
“We expect the UAE to go for the stage win. I hope I have good legs and the team has good legs, we’ll see," Vingegaard said in a pre-stage interview.
The Dane is not having as much support as expected as Matteo Jorgenson struggles with the heat; but the likes of Sepp Kuss and Davide Piganzoli could prove very important in a stage whose final half features a roller-coaster profile. "We’ll definitely do what’s best for me. Then we’ll see what happens".
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- It’s all good. Trump is going to call the UCI and they will reinstate Lance’s titles.mobk14-07-2026
- "If the legs are there and the situation allows it" but Rev the legs are never there against Pogi/Jonas "We finished week one on a good note," Bro Jonas is 3 minutes down and 2 minutes is a comfortable GT winning margin.abstractengineer14-07-2026
- If you ask me, never in the next 20 years in the Tour, no one would win from a breakaway. That's my big wish. No gifts of any kind. Even Usain Bolt didn't give anything to anyone. PS: I think if Baby Hulk eats a Big Mac here and there, he'll still be beating Jonas. :))mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales14-07-2026
- So, if you don't want Vingegaard to win, all you have to do is eat burgers every day?
Rafionain-Glas14-07-2026 - How do you put Enric Mas on the list of challengers and forget Felix Gall?Rafionain-Glas14-07-2026
- The chance that Vingegaard wins a race from 2024-2030... (and I'm not talking about individual stages, but any world tour race overall) when Pogačar is on the starting list is equal to my chance to break Usain Bolt's record in 100 m of 9.58. There is no difference, believe me, the chances are identical for both.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales14-07-2026
- I'll never not be convinced that UAE aren't on something...
leedorney14-07-2026 - 😁leedorney14-07-2026
- Thanks Thomas may i suggest you tell other teams how to ride or perhaps give the special stuff to help that you used to be in the peleton may make them go faster or give them Dutch courage 🤣🤣🤣paultryan200214-07-2026
- Well, if you look at past winners, the percentage is pretty shocking and from having learnt about human nature, I’d find it VERY hard to believe suddenly everyone (especially people wanting/needing money) has lost interest in discovering new enhancement products and selling them. Now, apart from suspicion, what else happened each time in the past when something undetectable was introduced? Exactly, nothing.Jumpyjohn14-07-2026
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