Jonas Vingegaard doesn't expect conservative Pogacar on opening Tour de France stage: "I expect an attack from him on Saturday"
Cycling
The first day of the Tour de France this year is the hardest in modern cycling. Gaps can be created, the very steep Côte de Pike will be a tough challenge close to the end of the stage in Bilbao, and Jonas Vingegaard expects Tadej Pogacar to go on the attack from day one.
“I expect an attack from him on Saturday, just like last year. I have to be ready. We have to do our best and see what we can do. I remain a hunter myself, because I aim for the overall victory. So not much has changed compared to last year," the Dane said in a pre-race press conference. Tadej Pogacar's form is an unknown, but UAE Team Emirates have been trying to take pressure of his shoulders, publicly saying Adam Yates would co-lead the team, and Pogacar himself saying Vingegaard is the one with most to lose.
The psychological barriers began the week before the Tour starts, and Vingegaard talks of expectations on Pogacar's aggressive racing, despite there being little evidence of his form. Much can be interpreted as forms of passing the responsibility onto each other, taking into consideration that both are expected to be a level above the competition as was the case last year. The Basque climbs will provide a first opportunity for the riders to be tested.
Vingegaard, who has done a recon of the climb at high speed already this Friday, remains calm, and has good reasons to be under control as he showed terrific form at the Criterium du Dauphiné and comes in fully backed by an incredibly strong Jumbo-Visma lineup. “I am busy with myself, with preparing myself as best as possible, with what I can do to get better. The last two months I have been working on training and nutrition to be as good as possible for the Tour," he concluded.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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🇫🇷 #TDF2023 Bilbao photo recap📸 #rideyourdreams
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