"Keep on praying because it's not going to change" - Bob Roll & Christian Vande Velde analyse Jonas Vingegaard's chances of beating Tadej Pogacar at 2025 Tour de France
CyclingFriday, 08 November 2024 at 10:45
The route and profiles of the 2025 Tour de France are here and we look set for another thrilling spectacle at next summer's edition of the Grand Tour. Can Tadej Pogacar go back to back? Will Jonas Vingegaard reclaim the Maillot Jaune? Or can Remco Evenepoel or another dark horse emerge from the chasing pack?
"The favourites should be the same as they were this year. Primoz Roglic, Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar," begins experienced US cycling expert Bob Roll in his analysis via NBC Sports Cycling's Beyond the Podium podcast. "Tadej's season went from fantastic, to unbelievable, to the greatest season ever and that's including Fausto Coppi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault. It was just an astounding season. His ability was on such a different level, even in the Tour de France."
As such, Pogacar is likely to start the 2025 edition with the mental advantage. "What's going to be going through the mind of the big favourites in the off-season, especially Jonas Vingegaard? What do you think he's thinking about after seeing what Tadej did in 2024? What kind of improvements can he (Vingegaard ed.) realistically make between now and next year's Tour de France?" Roll asks co-host and former 4th on GC finisher at the French Grand Tour, Christian Vande Velde.
"If I was Jonas and I was in Visma, I think I'd just worry about myself and just do the best you possibly can to get the best numbers, be surrounded by the best riders and that's it," the American answers. "Because at this point in time, if you're just fretting and trying to beat Tadej by doing the things he's doing, you're always going to be behind."
Vingegaard & Pogacar have had an all-time great Tour de France rivalry over the last four years
"We've seen this for decades now. People try to emulate what the best teams in the world are doing and you'll never catch them, because you're always going to be 18 months / 24 months behind whatever they're doing," Vande Velde continues. "I have to say though, for Jonas this year, what we all saw was nothing short of remarkable. What he came back from and to able to due the numbers that he did in the Tour de France, it was incredible. So his mental perseverance is the best I've ever seen."
In trying to take on Pogacar though, Vingegaard has a very unenviable task. "You can't say enough about the guy! His thirst for wins is endless and I don't think this year is going to be any different," Vande Velde analyses. "He's just going to go hambone from the beginning to the end again, and you know it's coming. You can pray for something different but you'll keep on praying because it's not going to change."
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Latest comments
- "North American"adammyerson22-05-2025
- The more statements that came out from his mouth, the more I'm impressed with how he carries himself.
KerisVroom22-05-2025 - What has it to do with us. It's between him and his employer. The crap about him having plenty money is irrelevant.Sabino22-05-2025
- lol, he knows how not to get into trouble with his teammates.KerisVroom22-05-2025
- They use English as their common language but it doesn't mean they speak it well. I hope this kid gets a chance to go for it, he too could win.awp22-05-2025
- I don't mind seeing Froome in the peloton, but he's a multimillionaire, he shouldn't take money that could give a few young guys, maybe more, a spot on a pro team. If he wants to ride it should be for no salary or much less. I say this without really knowing what he is making now but I assume it's decent amount.awp22-05-2025
- Don't forget the roster is weak compared to the Tadej and Jonas show, Carapaz has won the Giro before back in 2019. He was the only guy who could match Tadej and Jonas in the mountains in the 2021 Tour. He could take this race.awp22-05-2025
- That does seem to be an ever more common motivation for sudden performance ;-)Mistermaumau22-05-2025
- He actually said it with gloves onMistermaumau22-05-2025
- I hope so. Or was it just to show that he is still worth another good contract?Cyclingsbestfan22-05-2025
You're spewing nonsense. MVDP was at Liege too. Jonas did his best ever numbers in the Tour, as did Evenepoel. In the worlds, MVDP wasn't the only one chasing and a large part of the route was flat. Oh, did you forget that Pogi soloed 80 ks? What about the 80ks at Strade Bianche? The training ride at the Lombardia? And man, I can't stand how dismissive you people are of his Giro dominance. "There wasn't anyone around to challenge him" yeah well whenever a cyclist wins it's because there was no one else around who would be good enough. I'm sick of this imaginary opponents argument. Who was supposed to be there to challenge him anyways? Do you think Roglic or Evenepoel could do anything? Or Vingegaard, who always trains to peak for the Tour?
wow, you’re like a REALLY angry little fella, aren’t you? these discussions are supposed to be FUN, brother. if you find them this upsetting you should MAYYYYBE go for a walk, or get some tropical fish to look at or something.
beyond my concern for your emotional well being, i gotta say i don’t understand a few things you tried to say. your point about van der poel at liege? i don’t get it. and exactly who are the “you people” who are persecuting you over pogacar’s walk-over at the giro.
anyway, good luck with everything.
Typical "you didn't agree with me, you must be upset" yapping. Tried to look smart by wasting half your comment on a diversionary half-baked ad hominem. Gotta do better next time buddy. Mvdp at Liege? You said that Pogi wasn't all that good because Mvdp kept thr gap at the worlds. Well, the same Mvdp got smoked in Liege with similar climbing profile. Oh, look at that! You made a half-baked straw man as well. Either that or you're illiterate for considering "dismisiveness" to be "persecution". Anyways, the you people part is for the little cretins who DISMISS his Giro dominance as rather unimpressive for thr lack of "competition". See how I didn't dodge any talking points? Not hard when you've actually got something to say.