“Jonas Vingegaard has never been better than he is now” - American ex-pro Tyler Hamilton backs Visma leader to push Tadej Pogacar all the way at 2026 Tour de France
CyclingThursday, 02 July 2026 at 11:30
Jonas Vingegaard arrives at the 2026 Tour de France with a Giro d’Italia victory already in his legs and one of cycling’s hardest turnarounds still to prove. After dominating in Italy in May, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader stayed off the bike, spent time in Rome and Denmark, then rebuilt towards Barcelona with altitude work in Tignes.
Tyler Hamilton knows the danger in getting that balance wrong. The American ex-pro finished second at the 2002 Giro d’Italia before fading to 15th at the Tour de France later that summer. A former US Postal and CSC rider, Hamilton won Liege-Bastogne-Liege and a Tour stage during a career that later became tied to the Armstrong-era doping fallout.
Now working as a TV 2 Sport expert during the Tour, Hamilton sees Vingegaard’s recovery-first approach as the one he wishes he had taken 24 years ago.
“If I could go back in time, I would do it completely differently,” Hamilton told TV 2 Sport. “Right after the Giro, I flew straight back to Colorado, where there is an eight-hour time difference. Then I went to an altitude training camp in the Rocky Mountains. I trained far too hard there.”
“I love Vingegaard’s approach”
Vingegaard’s decision to race the Giro before facing Tadej Pogacar in France has been one of the major questions around his Tour build-up. Hamilton’s mistake, in his own view, was trying to protect his form by doing too much, too quickly. “I was too nervous about dropping in level between the Giro and the Tour, so I started training far too hard, far too early,” recalled Hamilton.
Vingegaard did the opposite. After the Giro finished on May 31, he stayed in Rome for a few days without riding his bike, then returned to Denmark for more rest before beginning the final Tour block.
“I love Vingegaard’s approach. It sounds fantastic. It sounds exactly like what I needed when I rode both the Giro and the Tour in 2002. I wish I had done the same,” said Hamilton. “He is not afraid to take it easy. He has been very smart. It is really good to rest the body after a Grand Tour like the Giro. That makes me very happy.”
Vingegaard arrives at the Tour fresh off a dominant Giro victory
Hamilton: “He dominated completely”
Hamilton does not see Vingegaard as a rider simply trying to survive the turnaround. The Dane won five stages at the Giro and left Italy with the first half of his double attempt already completed.
“I do not think he has ever been better than he is now,” said Hamilton. “He looked so good at the Giro. He completely dominated and won five stages. He also seems to have more confidence than he has ever had. He is a year older and therefore also more experienced. He is a father and has two children. It looks like he is happy with where he is. He seems to have confidence and belief in his own abilities.”
The Tour begins on July 4 in Barcelona with a team time trial, giving Visma an immediate test before the race heads towards the mountain stages expected to shape the yellow jersey fight. Pogacar still starts as favourite after another dominant spring and with a UAE Team Emirates – XRG squad built for control across almost every terrain.
Hamilton is not placing Vingegaard above the defending champion, but he expects the Dane to take the battle deep into the race. “He is going to push Tadej Pogacar all the way, that is for sure,” Hamilton said. “I think it will be super exciting, and I do not think we will get the decision until the third week of the Tour.”
From Barcelona, Visma will find out whether Vingegaard’s quieter post-Giro route has left him with enough freshness to carry May’s dominance into the third-week fight Hamilton expects against Pogacar.
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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