Pogacar or Vingegaard, who has the Tour de France advantage after 2025 spring for Johan Bruyneel?
Cycling
The spring is over for both Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. The Dane has struggled, winning the Volta ao Algarve but crashing out of Paris-Nice where he last raced. Meanwhile Tadej Pogacar has raced and won a lot, but that does give him the advantage towards the Tour de France?
The truth is that the World Champion has looked just as strong this spring as he did in 2024, and his level towards the Tour could be extremely high once again - which would make the task for everyone extremely complicated. However there is also the fatigue factor - both mentally and physically, where it can be argued that the leader of Team Visma | Lease a Bike can have some advantage. Vingegaard has been, for months, specifically training towards the demands of the Tour de France, whilst Pogacar's focus has been on the one-day races.
“Jonas and the Visma squad need to fully believe in their plan," Johan Bruyneel argued in The Move podcast. "Remember, he had a hard crash and injured his wrist, but it is not nearly as bad as last year. Back then he was still in the hospital at this point. Now he is already deep into training.”
The two are set to go on a training camp in May, before (as it currently stands) going on to face off at the Criterium du Dauphiné, where throughout an entire week they should go head to head in the mountains. This will be a long week, weeks still before the start of the Grand Boucle. Vingegaard's focus and sole aim for the three-week race is something that can give him an advantage when the time comes, as well as coming in as the underdog in this two-man rivalry.
“They have to stay laser focused on that one goal and peak exactly when it matters. That gives them a mental advantage. Still, Pogacar has not shown a single weakness. Last year he was dominant but this spring he looks even stronger. And his UAE Team Emirates squad looks rock solid, which is not something you can really say about Visma right now.”
Remco Evenepoel was third last year and can be in the mix once again, but the Belgian pundit doesn't think that he will be at the level required to win the Tour yet: "They (Soudal - Quick-Step) rebuilt the team from a cobbled classics squad into one fully centered around Remco. They did a good job supporting him during the race, but if your leader is not on a good day, there is little you can do. But can he reach Pogacar’s level? At this moment, my answer is no.”
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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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- lol yeah. this is a good onemij12-11-2026
- Mads is the best: I didn’t even know there were rules in cyclocross. I just thought it was a matter of: ‘Go, three, two, one, ride.’ It’s like a street fight, a kind of underground brawl. It’s the MMA of cycling he gives the best quotes.mij12-11-2026
- he's too young. he's 23, so not really a fair call yet.mij12-11-2026
- and don't forget Pidcock's departure. maybe he will never win a GT, but he knows how to light up a race.mij12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was going to say a 12 year obsessed Pogi fan girlie ! Like she's chasing a teen boy band! All glossy eyed about tadej!frieders312-11-2026
- That stint in the Pink was so good. If memory serves he struggled with the champagne cuz he'd never been on the podium before. I feel like it gave him some self-belief, and yeah - then the move to Visma to be one of their lieutenants has really brought him to the best version of himself.wrsty12-11-2026
- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
- Yeah his ride at World's was unreal. Over 6 W/kg for over an hour and a half...he single handedly destroyed the break.DAS11-11-2026
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