Jonas Vingegaard on Primoz Roglic' Tour de France absence: "Wouldn't it have been easier with him there? Yes and no"

Jonas Vingegaard is heading back to the Tour de France with the same goal, similar form and a similar team. Jumbo-Visma is fully read to tackle on the Grand Boucle and the Dane discusses the absence of Primoz Roglic in the lineup.

"That is something that is innate in some people, but also something that you can learn. I think I learned it. It's something we've talked about a lot within the team," Vingegaard tells in an interview with NOS. "The team management explained to me how to be a leader, how to communicate with others, how to address others. But it also helped to see how Primoz [Roglic] and Wout [van Aert] did that."

Indeed becoming a leader is more than the physical part, going from a domestique to a Tour de France winner in a matter of only a few years, with a rather enigmatic personality, it was a big change dealing with the media pressure, however in a team which includes several stars he was guided through the process.

He also thanks his wife a lot for the change in becoming a team leader. “She really helped me grow my chest, to grow up, to not be afraid to tell people the truth. She has really challenged me in certain situations, so that I am no longer afraid to tell others how I think things should go."

All the evolution, physically and mentally wise has gotten Vingegaard to a point where he is the man to beat ahead of this Tour de France, as Tadej Pogacar is returning from an injury that has delayed his preparation. “I am very confident that I can fight for the overall victory again and we have a super strong team."

"Wouldn't it have been easier with him there? Yes and no. Of course it would always have been good if he had been there. Having such a strong rider as Primoz there is never a bad thing. It could have been an advantage. And I can also share the captaincy, that would not have been a problem," he concluded.