“Jonas has to win Grand Tours. I do not think he will become world champion”: Danish expert urges Vingegaard to stick to what he knows as GC fight heats up

As the 2026 season begins, the pressure around Jonas Vingegaard’s future direction is only intensifying. With the Grand Tour landscape becoming increasingly crowded with ambitious teams and heavyweight signings, Danish cycling expert Christian Moberg believes clarity, not experimentation, must define Vingegaard’s next steps.

Speaking to TV2, Moberg was blunt in his assessment of where Vingegaard’s priorities should lie. The two-time Tour de France winner remains one of the few riders capable of consistently challenging Tadej Pogacar over three weeks, and Moberg sees no reason to dilute that focus.

“Vingegaard’s pursuit of the Tour is still what dominates when you look across the cycling world in general,” Moberg said in conversation with TV2. “Jonas has to win Grand Tours, and that has to fit into a programme.”

While Vingegaard has previously spoken about ambitions beyond the Tour, including the Giro d'Italia and the possibility of completing the full Grand Tour set, Moberg believes any deviation from a proven formula carries risk rather than reward.

Moberg’s caution is shaped not only by Vingegaard’s own strengths, but by the wider escalation across the peloton. As more teams load their rosters with elite GC talent, margins for success are narrowing rapidly.

“There are big consequences when you choose to sign one of the big names like Juan Ayuso, Remco Evenepoel and so on,” Moberg said. “Everyone believes they have the resources to win a Grand Tour, but right now it looks difficult unless your name is Vingegaard or Pogacar.”

In Moberg’s view, the modern Grand Tour is increasingly decided before the race even starts. Team composition, internal hierarchy and calendar discipline are becoming just as decisive as form on the road. “These are signings that make you hope to win a Grand Tour,” he warned, “but they are also transfers that might mean you never do. You cannot have all the stars.”

That logic also informs his scepticism around Vingegaard branching into one-day racing or targeting rainbow stripes. After an underwhelming experiment in that direction in 2025, Moberg believes the lesson was clear. “Especially after 2025, I do not think the enthusiasm for focusing on one-day races has grown,” he said. “Visma have been confirmed in the idea that they should stick to what they are good at.”

That includes tempering expectations around the World Championships. “It may well be that he lines up at the World Championships, and then we can applaud that,” Moberg added. “But I do not think he will become world champion.”

With only a handful of riders realistically capable of winning Grand Tours in the current era, Moberg argues that Vingegaard remains in a privileged but fragile position. The challenge is not to chase variety, but to maximise the remaining window in which Tour victories are possible.

“There are not that many years left where you can keep winning Grand Tours,” Moberg said. “That is why it has to fit into a programme.”

As the peloton arms race accelerates and more teams gamble on star-loaded rosters, Moberg’s message is ultimately conservative but clear. In an era where ambition is everywhere, specialisation may be Vingegaard’s greatest weapon.