Jonas Vingegaard says Matteo Jorgenson & Simon Yates could be key to defeating Tadej Pogacar at 2025 Tour de France: "It may be the strongest team I have ever been part of"

Jonas Vingegaard is entering the 2025 campaign the feeling of having a real point to prove after losing grip of the Tour de France Maillot Jaune to Tadej Pogacar in 2024. According to the Dane though, the incredible strength in depth of the proposed Team Visma | Lease a Bike lineup for the this summer's Grand Tour, could be the key to getting revenge.

"I think we have a strong team. We have a lot of power uphill and on the flat. It may be the strongest team I have ever been a part of," Vingegaard previews in quotes collected by IDL from a Team Visma | Lease a Bike press day, referring to the predicted Visma lineup of Wout van Aert, Sepp Kuss, Tiesj Benoot, Christophe Laporte, Victor Campenaerts, Simon Yates and Matteo Jorgenson, with especially the latter two in focus for Vingegaard. "Matteo and Simon can also be co-leaders. Of course, it depends on the tactics; we still have to figure that out. We plan to win the Tour, but I can't tell you exactly how we will pull it off yet."

It wouldn't be unheard of for Team Visma | Lease a Bike to adopt such a tactic in an attempt to stop Pogacar. Back in 2022, Vingegaard and then teammate Primoz Roglic repeatedly attacked the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader, eventually causing a critical blow to the Slovenian as Vingegaard took the first Tour de France win of his career. As mentioned though, in 2024, the roles were reversed and it was Vingegaard on the receiving end of a Pogacar assault. "I was good on the Tour, but not at my best level," the Dane admits. "I am confident that I can do a lot better. Particularly in terms of preparation, the three months in the run-up to the Tour. It is challenging to say the difference, but with seven or eight weeks of training, you cannot be at your best on the Tour."

"I have improved compared to last year. At least, that's how I feel," Vingegaard adds. "I don't normally see any results in the gym because I gain muscle mass quite quickly. But I did work out in the gym to regain what I lost in the crash at the Itzulia Basque Country."

"We think I can improve as a cyclist, but I'm focusing on myself. That's where I have the most control over the outcome. I'd rather not say how exactly we will beat UAE Team Emirates - XRG. But we are very confident, even though we have seen that they have become more professional and stronger," he concludes. "We must close the gap, but that is more up to Mathieu Heijboer. I believe that I can beat Pogacar. My strength was riding at altitude two years ago, but he was also outstanding last year."