"It's better with Jonas Vingegaard" - UAE boss laments main-rival's Volta a Catalunya absence
Cycling
The fight for the overall win at the 2025 Volta a Catalunya is set to really heat up this Wednesday afternoon with a mountainous parcours set to really challenge the peloton. Although big names such as Primoz Roglic, Juan Ayuso and Richard Carapaz among others are expected to be in the mix, one rider who isn't present in Catalunya is Jonas Vingegaard.
The Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader had been planned to fight for the overall win at the Volta a Catalunya this week, but after a nasty crash at the recent Paris-Nice, the Dane is currently out of action for the foreseeable future with a concussion. Despite the absence of arguably their main rival though, UAE Team Emirates - XRG boss Joxean Matxin has been left lamenting the absence of the 28-year-old, two-time Tour de France winner.
"It's better with Jonas (at the start of the race, ed.). Not only because he's a great rider but also for the control of the race," explains Matxin in conversation with Feltet.dk from the start line in Catalunya. "With Jonas at the start, Visma would control the race, and then it's more comfortable for us."
According to the latest talk from the Team Visma | Lease a Bike camp, UAE and Matxin might have to get used to riding without the opposition posed by Vingegaard. Recently, sports director Frans Maassen told Feltet.dk that the Dane might not be seen in the peloton again until the Criterium du Dauphine, with that being the only race for Vingegaard between now and the Tour de France.
"We will make a final decision within the next couple of weeks. Yes, that plan is also a possibility," Maassen explained. "So far, we have a clear plan, but we still have to wait and see. The coaches need to think it through, and Jonas needs to think about it. He also has to talk it over with his family."
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- agreed. flanders is a beast. i like tadej, but i’m full on rooting for mathieu next sunday.OCexile29-03-2025
- Indeed, strong as ever on the flat, maybe stronger on climbs. There are very few records within reach for contemporary riders (Cabendish had to extend his career to get his and took twice as long as Merckx to equality), this would be one that would be very hard to take away.Mistermaumau29-03-2025
- I thought newspeak was condensing any statement into the smallest number of pertinent words.Mistermaumau29-03-2025
- flanders is mvdp’s favorite race and he’s one win away from being the lone record holder with 4 wins. i’d be very surprised if the gap that pogačar opened in him there 2 years ago wasn’t THE major focus of all his training. and when mathieu has a goal, he turns himself inside out to achieve it. we’ll see next week if he got there, but i’d agree with van avermat’s assessment of van der poel’s fitness.OCexile29-03-2025
- It’s almost like newspeak. It’s classics season, Pogacar’s main rival has always been van der Poel. Then grand tour season will begin, and we will pivot mid sentence and Pogacar’s main rival will have always been Vingegaard. What a season this promises to be. Let’s hope they stay healthy (and Vingegaard gets past the concussion).RidesHills29-03-2025
- Great that he’s decided to do Flanders though his weight remark is irrelevant, Mads is proportionately heavier and MVDP has the same weight but is around 10cm shorter.Mistermaumau29-03-2025
- Yeah, looks slow up there.Jumpyjohn28-03-2025
- lol His aim was well off! MVP was well past him before the guy decided to spit.Cyclingsbestfan28-03-2025
- But you know that’s what makes this website live ;-)Mistermaumau28-03-2025
- I hope he stays upright too and I hope that in this years Paris Roubaix we get a proper good old fashioned man against man race. Can't wait!Cyclingsbestfan28-03-2025