Sean Kelly & Greg Lemond back Jonas Vingegaard for 2025 Tour de France: "Will he be able to challenge Pogacar? I think he will!"

After two, back to back Maillot Jaune victories at the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023, Jonas Vingegaard was unable to make it a hat-trick in 2024, losing out to Tadej Pogacar. Looking ahead to the 2025 edition of cycling's most watched race though, two legends of the sport have given Vingegaard their backing.

Obviously, Vingegaard's 2024 Tour de France campaign can't be properly measured without taking into account the nightmare preparation endured by the Dane after crashing out of the Itzulia Basque Country earlier in the year, breaking multiple bones, puncturing a lung and spending considerable time in intensive care.

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In fact, Vingegaard didn't race competitively again until the opening stage of the Tour. Three time Maillot Jaune winner Greg Lemond knows all about making dramatic returns to action at the Tour de France and was left impressed by the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader despite ultimately being defeated by Tadej Pogacar. "It wasn't such a domination over him considering, unless the injury wasn't as serious. But according to them (Visma ed.) it was serious," the American explains on the latest episode of Eurosport's 'The Gruppetto'.

"You just need to be slightly off," Lemond continues, noting the lack of racing in Vingegaard's legs pre-Tour de France. "I had a hard time believing that he was even going to be the competitive. Training is never the same as racing. I mean there's just another intensity and if you would had Tour de Suisse or something there to bring him up just a little bit, it could have been a different race."

Vingegaard finished 2nd overall at the 2024 Tour de France

Former Vuelta winner Sean Kelly also was impressed by Vingegaard's comeback, with the Irishman stating it bodes well for the Dane heading into 2025. "I was really, really amazed by the performance he put up," assesses Kelly. "And you know, looking forward to next year, will he be able to challenge Pogacar? I think he will."

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