Jonas Vingegaard hits back at criticism from Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar: "It was not a lack of balls, but just smart racing"

The ninth day of the Tour de France put on display the riders' qualities in the off-road sectors, team tactics and strength. Team Visma | Lease a Bike were without a doubt the strongest team and that allowed Jonas Vingegaard to not lose time on his rivals. He responds to criticism from both Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar who did not like the Danish climber's extremely defensive tactic on the day.

"I feel very good. I feel that I am growing. I am getting better and better. I am at a high level, much higher than I ever expected with only one and a half months of preparation," Vingegaard told Het Nieuwsblad. He finished the first week of the Tour 1:15 minutes behind Tadej Pogacar, he does not name a maximum amount of time that he could've loss over these 9 days of racing: "I can't put a figure on that. Last year I took seven minutes in two days. Now we don't know how I will react in the third week. We'll see day by day. Of course, the closer I am, the better. But I trusted our plan last year. That worked. I trust the plan this year too.”

After an early attack, Remco Evenepoel built a gap over the peloton, and was then caught by Pogacar and Vingegaard from behind. The trio had a big gap over the chasing group but was caught as the Dane refused to work. Evenepoel was very critic of this at the end of the stage: "Tadej and I were certainly not happy about it. I really had the feeling that the final podium of the Tour could already be determined here. Unfortunately we have to accept that, although I think that sometimes you just have to show balls in the race. Unfortunately Jonas didn't have that. Unfortunately it was part of their plan."

Vingegaard responded to two attacks directly on the day, and every time he would then not ride in the front of the group. He explains why he refused to work in the initial attack that could've created a big difference between the Tour's podium and the rest. "If I ride with them for seventy kilometers and then get dropped in the last kilometers - which also happened - then my Tour could be over. So it was not a lack of balls, but just smart racing."

Later on in the day Pogacar attacked in one of the last sectors of the stage getting a gap over the rest, but was closed in as Christophe Laporte and Matteo Jorgenson brought back Vingegaard. Pogacar, Vingegaard and Jorgenson had a gap over the rest including Remco Evenepoel but once again Visma refused to work even with two riders. Pogacar's words were very clear: "I think it was a great opportunity for us to put some time on the rest of the GC favourites and secure the podium, but Jonas refused to cooperate. I think Visma is just focusing on me and underestimating the other GC contenders. They just follow me, without thinking of Primoz Roglic or Remco."

"I certainly do not only see Pogacar as an opponent," Vingegaard responds, although it certainly did not seem to be that way this Sunday afternoon as the team did not try to put time into neither Primoz Roglic or Remco Evenepoel when both had been dropped, on multiple occasions. "The entire top ten is an opponent. Yesterday we did not want to lose time. Maybe other people don't understand our tactics, but that's their problem.”