"Someone should tell him that" – Wout van Aert snaps at Pogacar as UAE-Visma tension boils

The 2025 Tour de France has been just as much a psychological battle as a physical one, especially between UAE Team Emirates – XRG and Team Visma | Lease a Bike. After five straight years of Tour wins split between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, their rivalry has developed a sharper edge, and the animosity has spilled beyond the road and into post-stage interviews. There is a lot of respect between the top two, but we are seeing more comments between Vingegaard’s teammates and Pogacar than usual.

Vingegaard himself is usually quiet, respectful, and avoids brash talking. Whilst Pogacar is also a respectful champion, he has not been afraid to question his rival' team tactics during the Tour.

On Sunday, following a stage where Pogacar’s teammate Tim Wellens won, he made a pointed remark about his rival. “If I were in Jonas’ situation, I wouldn’t be the happiest at the dinner table tonight,” he told Danish broadcaster TV2.

Wout van Aert wasn’t about to let that go unchallenged.

“It’s quite funny that Tadej says that, because he clearly wanted eventual stage winner Tim Wellens in the breakaway, so they were essentially doing the same thing,” Van Aert fired back, speaking to Het Nieuwsblad. His response underscores Visma’s frustration with what they see as double standards in UAE’s tactics.

Van Aert didn’t stop there. “And there was a very easy solution. Our group was 25 riders strong, and everyone in there wanted to get into the breakaway. So if Tadej had simply dropped back down to the peloton where Jonas was, he would have shown real sportsmanship. Now he’s complaining about something that isn’t there.”

That’s the sharpest tone yet from one of Visma’s senior riders, and he wasn't finished. “I also noticed that Matteo wasn’t given any space,” Van Aert added. “Maybe Tadej hasn’t noticed yet that Matteo has already lost half an hour in the general classification. Someone should tell him that.”

Perhaps Van Aert is simply sticking up for Vingegaard and his team, or perhaps he has had enough of Pogacar's comments about his team. But will the action now spill out onto the road?

What’s clear is that the UAE–Visma rivalry has matured into something personal. These aren’t just tactical disagreements or heat-of-the-moment quotes, there's a tone of disdain and mutual suspicion now driving the narrative. Both teams have controlled the Tour for years, but in 2025, things seem to be reaching a boiling point.