"Jonas Vingegaard was trying to hide, as usual" - Philippe Gilbert blasts Visma leader after Paris-Nice

Jonas Vingegaard's trip to Paris-Nice in 2025 didn't go totally to plan. Despite showing some attacking intent on stage 4, he was eventually beaten at the line by Joao Almeida, before a crash on stage 5 then ended his race altogether. The showing of the Dane has now been heavily criticised by Belgian classics legend Philippe Gilbert.

In particular, Vingegaard's lack of action amidst the controversial neutralisation of the race on stage 4 amidst snow, hail and ice cold rain caught the attention of Gilbert. "Vingegaard was trying to hide, as usual, behind other people," blasts the Belgian icon in quotes to RTL. "And that's when he should have told ASO that we need to make quick, on-the-spot decisions in the interest of everyone, the teams, the organizers. And he was completely absent. He may have been injured, but these are times when we need the leaders of cycling. And he was absent once again."

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"This is what shows his great lack of charisma. This is what often plays tricks on him, even in the final stages of races, he has no charisma," continues Gilbert, comparing the reaction, or lack of it from Vingegaard at Paris-Nice, as opposed to the action taken by the Dane's great rival Tadej Pogacar amidst the cancellation of Tre Valli Varesine due to adverse weather. "He (Vingegaard ed.) can't exert influence against, for example, a Pogacar who is doubly charismatic. He's overflowing with it."

After the stage had finished however, Vingegaard did indeed criticise the conditions in his post-stage interview. “I have mixed feelings, although… I’m just not happy at all. We should never have ridden this finale. It was freezing and no one in the peloton felt any warmth. After the restart, I didn’t get warm anymore and even now I still feel hypothermic," the Danish rider told the media. 

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