"Tadej Pogacar has to be worn down somehow" – Former Worlds runner-up sees opportunity for Jonas Vingegaard in European Championship road race

As the elite men’s European Championship road race looms this Sunday, all eyes inevitably turn to Tadej Pogacar — the reigning world champion and overwhelming favourite to add continental gold to his glittering 2025 campaign. Yet one man who knows how to beat the best believes Denmark could have the tools to do just that.

Former World Championships runner-up and Vuelta a Espana stage winner, turned Eurosport expert analyst Matti Breschel sees an opening for his countrymen Jonas Vingegaard and Mattias Skjelmose to challenge the Slovenian superstar — provided they play their cards right.

“Pogacar has to be worn down somehow,” Breschel told Eurosport in his pre-race analysis. “At a certain moment, Denmark will need to gamble everything and try to launch an attack themselves.”

Denmark enter Sunday’s race with a formidable pairing. Vingegaard arrives fresh from his dominant Vuelta a Espana victory, reaffirming his Grand Tour pedigree, while Skjelmose — brilliant at the recent World Championships — has shown he is in top form and unafraid to take on the sport’s elite.

For Breschel, that combination gives Denmark a tactical edge few other nations can match. “I would imagine Denmark will have two captains — Skjelmose and Vingegaard — for the European road race. That’s the way to succeed,” he explained. “They should be on completely equal footing when it comes to deciding who to ride for in the finale, but they can open the race for each other along the way.”

It’s a pragmatic approach against a rider as aggressive and versatile as Pogacar. The Slovenian outfit is expected to set a brutal tempo from the very start — a style Breschel believes plays into Denmark’s hands if they can bide their time. “Pogacar has a strong team, and they’ll want to make it a hard, draining race from kilometre zero,” Breschel said. “Denmark should stay patient, and when Pogacar goes, they need to follow and hope they end up in the numerical advantage. That’s how you might get the better of him.”

Few riders in world cycling can withstand Pogacar’s sustained aggression, but with two proven winners in their ranks, Denmark may be one of the few nations capable of doing so. Breschel believes the key lies in maintaining that dual-pronged threat. “Having two world-class riders going up against the very best — Pogacar and of course Remco Evenepoel — is a definite advantage,” he said.

Whether it’s Vingegaard’s calculated endurance or Skjelmose’s explosive racing instincts that prevail, Denmark’s hopes of European glory rest on their ability to unsettle the sport’s dominant force.

When the peloton rolls out on Sunday, the task will be simple — though anything but easy: wear down Pogacar, outmanoeuvre Evenepoel, and turn Denmark’s strength in depth into a decisive advantage.