"It was very good power from me and Tadej" - Jonas Vingegaard on track for Tour de France after Combloux performance

Jonas Vingegaard started this decisive weekend at the Criterium du Dauphiné in good spirits, having a gap of less than a minute to Tadej Pogacar which can in theory still be closed. It will always be a diffificult task if the World Champion maintains his level, but the Dane will not stop trying.

“I think I’ve performed quite well so far. Tadej was just stronger yesterday. I have to accept that. I think it was pretty close. But I didn’t have a power meter," Vingegaard said this morning at the start of stage 7. In Combloux, the difference was of over a minute at the finish line, but now we enter terrain that favours the pure climbers such as the Dane more.

"That’s no excuse, because you just have to go full throttle to the finish. That didn’t slow me down. But I do think that it was very good power from me and Tadej. Of course, the climb is a lot shorter than Plateau de Beille, about half the time. In that respect, it’s difficult to compare.”

However the pressure is not on for the Dane, who recognizes this is only part of the preparation for the big goal. “I am calm at the moment. I know that this race will also make me better. That is also the plan that we have always had: to use this race as training for the Tour. For now we remain calm. We do our thing and then see in the Tour.”

And overall, Team Visma | Lease a Bike showed great legs with Matteo Jorgenson and Ben Tulett, whilst Sepp Kuss showed his first signs of good form in quite a while. “We can be satisfied with how we rode as a team yesterday. Everyone was super strong. We showed that we had four riders among the best. Hopefully we will be that strong again today.”

“You will see what that plan looks like during the race. I am still going for the overall victory in the Dauphiné. I think my form is good, I will do everything I have in me," he concluded.