"Pogacar humiliated him without even trying" - Former World Tour pro argues Jonas Vingegaard is heading towards retirement
CyclingSaturday, 08 August 2026 at 12:07
Jonas Vingegaard has had a busy season and it was supposed to culminate at the Tour de France where he was climbing towards a potential second place in the overall classification for a third year in a row. That race ended on the ground during stage 15, putting further damage on an already virtually defeated Dane. Former pro Adriano Malori has argued that Vingegaard may retire at the end of this season.
Jonas Vingegaard's 2026 Tour may have been key point in his career
"In my opinion, this will be the last year we'll see this rider in the peloton," Malori said on a Facebook post. "Jonas Vingegaard took the worst blow of all this year". The Italian, former Vuelta a España stage winner and World Championship podium finisher, saw a dramatic day at the Tour de France that might have impacted Vingegaard's career greatly.
In the spring, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider won Paris-Nice and then the Volta a Catalunya. He moved onto the Giro d'Italia where he swiftly picked up several stage wins and the overall classification with comfort.
The plan was to then aim for the Tour de France. "After dominating the Giro d'Italia and returning to his best performances, he came to the Tour convinced he could compete with the Slovenian, but instead Pogacar humiliated him without even trying".
On that day, the Slovenian won 30 seconds on the ascent to the Col du Tourmalet, but then multiplied that by several times on the descent and final slight climb to Gavarnie. He virtually sealed the Tour on the first mountain stage.
Malori believes that this day took a big hit on the Danish climber. "In the Tourmalet stage, where he gained a 3-minute lead, he was clearly mentally broken, and this was evident in his comments".
Jonas Vingegaard at the end of stage 6 of the Tour de France
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Malori believes Vingegaard will retire
Vingegaard suffered a collarbone fracture in his crash at the Tour, and his calendar for the rest of the season is uncertain. The Visma rider is not racing the Vuelta a España, but it is unclear if he will still aim for the World Championships or Il Lombardia towards the end of the season.
The Italian ex-pro sees it in a more dramatic way, arguing that the lack of ability against Vingegaard - the closest to Pogacar at the Tour - is no longer competitive against him and might hang up the wheels at the end of this year.
"This year, Vingegaard has been certain that he can NO longer beat Pogacar in stage races; he's already won the triple crown (Giro, Tour, and Vuelta) and has no interest in one-day races".
"This could make him lose motivation, and therefore, in my opinion, we won't see him in the peloton again in 2027".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Certainly one of the best. Hope denialists found something better to watchMistermaumau08-08-2026
- My prediction.. Pog will win 7 Tours, maybe 8 with the help of IDT. Then he'll work for IDT to win.Santiago08-08-2026
- Bravo RidesHills for your comment That is precisely why Jonas shoud retire. He has nothing to prove but has something to lose. He can't prove he can beat Pogi, but may start losing to Seixas, Del Toro or even Remco. Does he really need this sh**... I don't think so. PS: Jonas can be proud of his cycling career, it was exceptional, winning 4 GT (2X TdF) and most of the prestigious one week stage races.PogiSloFans08-08-2026
- Yeah, his name is Mou, I think. He's a fraud and has been banned over multiple sites. He's on X now, but the disgusting things he writes about Tadej and Urška doesn't make him a Pogi fan... He's disgusting.PogiSloFans08-08-2026
- Awsome! The best women race I've ever watched!averagecyclist08-08-2026
- It's so nice for Matteo Trentin to say these things about Pogačar, although they are not teammates anymore. Most cyclists and other people that know Tadej personally, say he's a nice and honest guy, he just doesn't know how to be a fake. It's something Pogi haters just don't understand.PogiSloFans08-08-2026
- Del Toro inevitably will be the focus for Mexican cycling. It's a given that he will bring out new talent. It happens all the time. Slovenia with Roglic and Pogacar is a good example Another classic example Is the Columbian Louis Herrera. Columbian cycling was nowhere till Herrera won King of the Mountains in the 1985 tour. He won a lot more than that but that was the defining win that brought Columbians into the world tour.Cyclingsbestfan08-08-2026
- Poor Demi. Fined 1000CHF for having a pee. It's not so easy for women as the men to relieve themselves.Cyclingsbestfan08-08-2026
- Good post!Cyclingsbestfan08-08-2026
- You think he is going to be allowed to challenge Pogacar for the gc in the tdf while Pog is still on his game? When Pog fades - yes that might be possible but not before.. Del Toro will improve but will never get to the top step while Pog is dominant.Cyclingsbestfan08-08-2026
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