"Tadej was just stronger. He deserved to win" - Jonas Vingegaard accepting Pogacar's early Paris-Nice dominance

It was a tough day for Jonas Vingegaard yesterday at Paris-Nice, as the first mountain clash with Tadej Pogacar in 2023 ended in defeat. A heavy loss, but one that the Jumbo-Visma rider accepts and will look to overturn.

“Tadej was just stronger. He deserved to win," the Dane told reporters this morning at the start of stage 5. Last afternoon, disappointed, he headed to the team bus right after the finish. "It was impressive what he did. To be honest, he was just better. I might have handled it a little differently, but he still rode me off. Tadej was stronger.”

After launching an attack early in the climb, Vingegaard was then unsuccessful in following Pogacar's moves further up the slopes. He went deep into the red trying to close the gap, and ended up shedding 43 seconds at the line, which has placed him in third on the overall classification. However he continues to focus on the big picture.

“Of course I wanted to go for the win here, so I'm a bit disappointed. But this is not the Tour de France and it is not going to determine the outcome of the Tour. I'm definitely not giving up yet. The weekend rides are tough and I'm definitely going to try again. I will do my best and then we will see what is possible," he concluded.