Jonas Vingegaard’s 2026 is officially starting this Saturday at Paris-Nice as the Dane has landed in France, eyeing the overall win in a race that destroyed his previous spring campaign. He has been asked about Tadej Pogacar ahead of the race but was unmoved by the remarks.
“It’s the first race of the year and that always brings doubts about your condition, but I’ve had a good winter and training has gone well. The thing is, the others have already raced and know better where they stand. I’m here to win,” the Dane told Sporza.
Initially, he was set to start at the UAE Tour, but a crash and a bout of illness altered his plans. Vingegaard said the incident was not as serious as it first appeared, however it was a notable moment of his winter campaign which did not take place in the ideal conditions.
“The injury wasn’t that bad, it looked worse than it really was, and the day after the crash I could train, but after that fall I got sick and had to change plans. It wasn’t anything major, I’ve trained well, I’m in good shape and ready to race.”
In recent weeks there has also been talk that his calendar may be designed to avoid showdowns with Tadej Pogacar before the summer. The Dane, however, downplays that debate. “Pogacar unbeatable? I’m not worried about what analysts say. I focus on my own plan.”
Jonas Vingegaard is not afraid of Tadej Pogacar in 2026
Confident in the Giro–Tour double
That plan includes riding the Giro d’Italia before the Tour de France, a decision he believes can help him reach his best level, as was the case with the World Champion two seasons ago. Vingegaard considers that racing two Grand Tours in the same season allows him to arrive stronger at the second.
“My absolute power is higher when I ride a second Grand Tour in the same season. So I think doing the Giro will allow me to be better for the Tour. I also saw I needed a change after running the same race program for five years. I have that big ambition to win the Giro, having already won the Tour and La Vuelta.”
Lastly, the Dane assessed Remco Evenepoel’s start to the season, with the Belgian already showing strong form in the first races of the year. Even so, Vingegaard noted that spring results do not always reflect what happens in the summer in the longer events in which he aims for.
“He also started strong, as we saw in Mallorca and Valencia. He had a small setback at the UAE Tour. But I always say what you do in spring doesn’t matter for the summer. He will also be very strong when the Tour comes," the Dane assures, not underestimating his rival.
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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- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
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