"There's no chance the situation will reverse" - Jonas Vingegaard told to take new approach to Tour de France as Pogacar cruises to yellow jersey
Cycling
Jonas Vingegaard has been told there's no chance he can turn around a deficit of almost three minutes to Tadej Pogacar in his quest for the Tour de France yellow jersey. However, the Dane and Team Visma | Lease a Bike can gain measurably from following the world champion's wheel.
Vingegaard may have lost 2:38 to Pogacar as he sensationally rode into the yellow jersey last Thursday in the Pyrenees, but Vingegaard showed he was stronger than the rest of the podium challengers as he held them at arm's length.
One could argue that Vingegaard's pursuit of Pogacar helped craft the gap and build a gap on the likes of Paul Seixas, Remco Evenepoel and Isaac del Toro. Four-time Tour stage winner Gianni Bugno thinks Vingegaard must keep up that hard work behind the Slovenian, but not in pursuit of him but rather to distance the others.
"From now on, Vingegaard will ride on Pogacar's wheels, while also trying to break away from the others," Bugno told Quibici Sport.
"Jonas is strong, but Tadej can't do anything about this: the gap between the two will widen further in the coming stages. These are the numbers, in my opinion there's no chance the situation will reverse."
Tour de France podium battle
While seeing no way back for yellow, the podium is very much in play as several contenders find themselves closely bunched together in the top ten. Del Toro, freed of having to work hard for Pogacar, is a big threat. For Bugno, the Tour intensity is too much too soon, favouring a Giro d'Italia schedule for the teenager.
"The podium? Watch out for del Toro, if they don't let him push too hard: Pogacar doesn't need much help on the climbs. I would have only let Seixas ride the Giro: a more gradual approach is definitely advisable.
He added: "However, I think he can also aim for a podium spot, if he can manage his strength without trying to break away from Tadej."
Meanwhile, Pogacar is cruising towards a fifth Tour de France. Bugno thinks it's possible he can win all three grand tours in one year - provided he leaves the classics out of his schedule. He pinpointed Pogacar's only mistake this season at Paris-Roubaix as he was out-sprinted by Wout van Aert.
Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogacar at Paris-Roubaix 2026
Bugno on Pogacar's season and Vuelta chances
"He's in a different sport, and he can win all three Grand Tours in the same year. If he decides to throw himself into this undertaking, leaving aside the classics, he can easily succeed.
He added: "He's the strongest on all terrains, as we saw again this year: he only lost Roubaix, because he underestimated Van Aert. He should have let Van Aert work in the last two kilometers, and that would have given him the win: instead, he pushed himself, to keep Van der Poel from coming back, and he threw the chance away."
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There's been speculation that Pogacar could return to the Vuelta a Espana in 2026 for the first time since 2019. Bugno doesn't see it this season given the World Championships' proximity to the grand tour in the season schedule.
"The Vuelta? I don't think he'll race it this year; I think his priority is the World Championships. But next year I definitely expect him to be at the start ."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Congrats! It is done so now is time for CX.averagecyclist15-11-2026
- It's going to happen at some point. It will happen to Tadej as well, we all get older. Jonas was in pretty great form at the tour. I still consider him a top two or three cyclist in the world, until he's not.awp15-11-2026
- mij, I am not so sure of that. I have been on a spine ward at a Denver hospital that had quite a few spinal injuries from mountain biking.BDBigGuy15-11-2026
- Pogi takes care of his teammates in races and training. Tadej Pogačar is widely praised within the cycling peloton for his fair and egalitarian leadership, actively supporting his UAE teammates both on the road during races and behind the scenes at training camps. Rather than acting like an untouchable superstar, he has intense team loyalty by sharing daily chores, giving up personal glory to help domestiques, and publicly praising their sacrifices. Unlike some Grand Tour contenders, like Vingegaard, who occasionally train away from their squads, Pogi consistently attends team training camps alongside his domestiques, making the exact same sacrifices to build friendship. I love how Pogačar shares his teammates-domestiques, either when they succeed or win in races or when they simply just do a good job for him. It has to be a great moral boost for them. And then they work even harder and go even deeper for Pogi. This is teamwork.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
- Yeah, what he said!Lozza15-11-2026
- I’m sure Jasper Philipsen would disagree with you.Lozza15-11-2026
- Article says he was “out for a spin around the town”, implying not off-road.Lozza15-11-2026
- let’s be honest, Alpecin is all about one rider - MVDP. I’m sure he gets whatever he needs, the rest get the scraps.mij15-11-2026
- there are more vicious injuries on a road bike than a mountain bike far and away.mij15-11-2026
- That'll be one crazy rider
Rafionain-Glas15-11-2026
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