“Jonas Vingegaard focuses as much as possible on Tadej Pogačar. In hindsight, he could have done something" - Jumbo-Visma's Frans Maassen on stage 2 drama at the Tour de France
Cycling
Victor Lafay took the win on stage 2 of the 2023 Tour de France. Post-stage however, all the talk was about Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert and the tension seemingly brewing at Jumbo-Visma.
Fighting on two fronts at a Grand Tour is never easy. The team's main goal is obviously the Maillot Jaune with Vingegaard but winning stages with van Aert is also important. A tough task for Sports Director, Frans Maassen to keep everyone happy. “He focuses as much as possible on Pogačar, of course," he says of Vingegaard to NOS. "In hindsight, he could have done something."
As Lafay dangled just out of reach in the final few hundred metres, that one turn from Vingegaard could have given van Aert the victory. That turn never came so we'll never know for sure. But as Maassen explains, a turn from Vingegaard wasn't risk free.
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"You don't count on an attack from Lafay in the last kilometre. And it's not a PlayStation. Wout could also have caught Lafay back, but then he would have been beaten by Pogačar in the sprint, and you don't want that at all," he says. “You are so close and you wish Wout the victory, then it is a pity that you do not take him. We have seen a super team and we have to hold on to that. On to the next day again."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Congrats! It is done so now is time for CX.averagecyclist15-11-2026
- It's going to happen at some point. It will happen to Tadej as well, we all get older. Jonas was in pretty great form at the tour. I still consider him a top two or three cyclist in the world, until he's not.awp15-11-2026
- mij, I am not so sure of that. I have been on a spine ward at a Denver hospital that had quite a few spinal injuries from mountain biking.BDBigGuy15-11-2026
- Pogi takes care of his teammates in races and training. Tadej Pogačar is widely praised within the cycling peloton for his fair and egalitarian leadership, actively supporting his UAE teammates both on the road during races and behind the scenes at training camps. Rather than acting like an untouchable superstar, he has intense team loyalty by sharing daily chores, giving up personal glory to help domestiques, and publicly praising their sacrifices. Unlike some Grand Tour contenders, like Vingegaard, who occasionally train away from their squads, Pogi consistently attends team training camps alongside his domestiques, making the exact same sacrifices to build friendship. I love how Pogačar shares his teammates-domestiques, either when they succeed or win in races or when they simply just do a good job for him. It has to be a great moral boost for them. And then they work even harder and go even deeper for Pogi. This is teamwork.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
- Yeah, what he said!Lozza15-11-2026
- I’m sure Jasper Philipsen would disagree with you.Lozza15-11-2026
- Article says he was “out for a spin around the town”, implying not off-road.Lozza15-11-2026
- let’s be honest, Alpecin is all about one rider - MVDP. I’m sure he gets whatever he needs, the rest get the scraps.mij15-11-2026
- there are more vicious injuries on a road bike than a mountain bike far and away.mij15-11-2026
- That'll be one crazy rider
Rafionain-Glas15-11-2026
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