Jonas Vingegaard doesn't expect conservative Pogacar on opening Tour de France stage: "I expect an attack from him on Saturday"

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.