Jonas Vingegaard reportedly following in Tadej Pogacar's example: "His cranks have been filed down and repainted so that you can't read anything on them"
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike was contemplating the use of shortened cranks by their riders, but after Wout Van Aert already tested the new setup this winter, it now seems like the Dutch team finally gave in to the temptation and will follow the example set by world champion Tadej Pogacar.
"Copying has always been a thing," Richard Plugge tells Het Laatste Nieuws. "There is nothing wrong with good stealing."
"As a novice team manager, I watched Shayne Bannan's Orica GreenEdge a lot in 2014. After that, Team Sky and INEOS were the examples. We are aware that UAE Team Emirates became number one last year because they copied things from us cleverly, just as we in turn watched them carefully."
You won't notice it on the first sight, but according to the Visma boss, these shorter cranks should close the gap that opened up between his team and UAE Team Emirates - XRG. "We saw that Pogacar and other riders from Team UAE were racing with shorter cranks. We were also investigating that option, but they were the first to dare to implement it, and apparently it works."
Jonas Vingegaard
Team Visma | Lease a Bike doesn't want to give too much information, but Het Laatste Nieuws writes that 27 of the 29 riders have switched to shorter cranks. The newspaper writes that it is possible to read how long cranks all riders are riding with on their bikes, based on the layouts of specific models. Except for one: Jonas Vingegaard.
Het Laatste Nieuws writes: "His cranks have been filed down and repainted so that you can't read anything on them. In the peloton, it is whispered that Vingegaard has gone even lower than 160 millimeters, which is extreme. His cranks should even be specially developed by the manufacturer."
Soudal - Quick-Step sports director told Het Laatste Nieuws that the big change in crank setups is quite surprising to him, highlighting that it used to be mostly a climbers' thing: "It surprises me that big bears like Van Aert ride with shorter cranks, it seems to me mainly something for climbers."
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So he thinks that copying crank length will get him the extra power he needs? It's that easy eh? I'll go change mine as well and make a go of it. Both delusional sorry.
Firstly, it’s not really a question of copying, secondly, if you feel it can’t have an effect then criticise Pog for changing pointlessly. Wéve changed tires, brakes and plenty more, why not this?
Pog can change it and make a difference because he is an exceptional, once in a lifetime athlete. And the other guy? Well - good luck.
The other guy that’s beaten him twice at the tour and is never far behind? Yeah must be a total useless wannabee. Seriously, are you going to tell me you believe only one guy can use personalised crank length or any other set-up to his advantage? Are you seriously suggesting that from 1m60 60kg climbers to 1m90 90kg rouleurs and sprinters, everyone will get their optimal efficiency from one of 2 or 3 different crank length? Do you think they also all use the same tire pressure, gearing, frame & potence sizes? You do realise that not everyone has the same leg/back ratio, cadence, fast/slow twitch fibre, endurance, foot size, femur/tibia ratio. In fact, how could you not imagine someone will one day realise you should actually use asymmetric cranks seeing as we are not symmetric and all have one leg shorter than the orher (you can probably tell which from power readings). So in this age where peopke experiment with sock length and texture, I’d find it really weird if crank length was just accepted as a given. But then again, the phallicism of saddles has never been questioned either and I can guarantee you that extra 3-4cm of length brings zero extra performance or aerodynamic enhancement once a rider gets going, just some dead weight furthest from the centre of gravity.
Never said any of that but thank you for your analysis. I had an opinion, I stated it but you chose to dissect it for some reason.
I've been cycling for a long time. I can't remember exactly when 180mm cranks where touted as the way to go for getting up steep hills. I sourced the cheapest 180mm cranks I could find to give it a try. Within one ride I found that it was not in any way good for me, The increased arc of the pedals wrecked my muscles and tendons. It took weeks of going back to using my regular 170mm cranks for my muscles to recover.
Yeah, you know, probably would have helped if you’d have adapted slowly instead of expecting your body to assimilate the change from one day to the next. Moreover, I don’t believe in the one size fits all feeling hype tends to purvey.
Just checked my cycling equipment record. Looks like my memory let me down on that info about the 180mm cranks. I did do a progression on length. I started on 170mm and rode that for some years. It never felt right for me and I moved on to 172.5. Better for a time and then eventually found my sweet spot was 175mm. I still ride that length to this day on the road and even on my electric bike.. The 180mm was out of my comfort zone and damaged me for a time. I sold those Mavic 180 mils on ebay to an American guy my record notes.
I would say it suits guys with longer legs but perhaps it’s more a question of leg/back length proportions and obviously natural cadence.
Altering approved equipment? What? We can't have that! The UCI police will be on the case shortly!
Funny but apart from team and jersey colours, I don’t think painting is prohibited. As for filing, thar would be hard to ban as that is exactly what chains and sprockets do to each other during cycling :-)
That's an odd way to describe chain wear. I think most people would just call that wear. We never generally call or equate friction wear between chain and sprocket to being filed?
It was a joke to question how for legal purposes you could distinguish between wear from filing or from use.
We are aware that UAE Team Emirates became number one last year because they copied things from us cleverly. - Richard Plugge Wow, the arrogance!
Now they expect Visma to sweep the top 5 at the TdF since they leveled the playing field🙃
A bit strange that Plugge is so keen to give away Visma's secrets that nobody had even guessed. Perhaps Vingegaard's cranks are partly a red herring to draw attention away from more important tricks that Visma have up their sleeve!
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- agreed. flanders is a beast. i like tadej, but i’m full on rooting for mathieu next sunday.OCexile29-03-2025
- Indeed, strong as ever on the flat, maybe stronger on climbs. There are very few records within reach for contemporary riders (Cabendish had to extend his career to get his and took twice as long as Merckx to equality), this would be one that would be very hard to take away.Mistermaumau29-03-2025
- I thought newspeak was condensing any statement into the smallest number of pertinent words.Mistermaumau29-03-2025
- flanders is mvdp’s favorite race and he’s one win away from being the lone record holder with 4 wins. i’d be very surprised if the gap that pogačar opened in him there 2 years ago wasn’t THE major focus of all his training. and when mathieu has a goal, he turns himself inside out to achieve it. we’ll see next week if he got there, but i’d agree with van avermat’s assessment of van der poel’s fitness.OCexile29-03-2025
- It’s almost like newspeak. It’s classics season, Pogacar’s main rival has always been van der Poel. Then grand tour season will begin, and we will pivot mid sentence and Pogacar’s main rival will have always been Vingegaard. What a season this promises to be. Let’s hope they stay healthy (and Vingegaard gets past the concussion).RidesHills29-03-2025
- Great that he’s decided to do Flanders though his weight remark is irrelevant, Mads is proportionately heavier and MVDP has the same weight but is around 10cm shorter.Mistermaumau29-03-2025
- Yeah, looks slow up there.Jumpyjohn28-03-2025
- lol His aim was well off! MVP was well past him before the guy decided to spit.Cyclingsbestfan28-03-2025
- But you know that’s what makes this website live ;-)Mistermaumau28-03-2025
- I hope he stays upright too and I hope that in this years Paris Roubaix we get a proper good old fashioned man against man race. Can't wait!Cyclingsbestfan28-03-2025