"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
CyclingTuesday, 14 July 2026 at 11:53
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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leedorney14-07-2026 - Thanks Thomas may i suggest you tell other teams how to ride or perhaps give the special stuff to help that you used to be in the peleton may make them go faster or give them Dutch courage 🤣🤣🤣paultryan200214-07-2026
- Well, if you look at past winners, the percentage is pretty shocking and from having learnt about human nature, I’d find it VERY hard to believe suddenly everyone (especially people wanting/needing money) has lost interest in discovering new enhancement products and selling them. Now, apart from suspicion, what else happened each time in the past when something undetectable was introduced? Exactly, nothing.Jumpyjohn14-07-2026
- Pretty good points Some more, 90% of the sport watching population has their main vacation time around July/August, it is why almost ALL major sports events (except ice/snow dependant obviously) have been, are, want and will be programmed then. Hardly anyone will take time to follow a Tour around during work time and if the stages take place during work hours, no media is going to pay top dollar for the privilege of live coverage. Now, if somebody would like to remind the likes of Tadej and the Union spokesperson that it’s likely their demands would lead to quite a drastic reduction in rider salaries, I’m not so sure they’ll stay as vocal with their « solutions ». I’m still ride in these temps (it’s actually more refreshing than sitting around outside), alone and without getting paid and certainly no slower than during normal temps (in fact, some days it feels like it’s easier to be fast in these temps) or having serious goals, the hard part is the first couple of days but you quickly get used to it and as long as you adapt hydration and avoid consuming anything nefarious, nothing happens. We’re going to get to the point of telling pro swimmers to stop in heatwaves because there’s an increase in drownings. Speaking of cooling down methods, maybe some of these are as dangerous as the heat itself. Many people drown from the reactions we have to thermal shock, jumping into cold water after being hot. Yet what are teams doing with ice packs and cryobaths? Maybe, again, it’s all about how resilient and experienced individuals are, no scandinavian would worry about sauna/ice bath consequences, but that doesn’t mean everyone should copy them without some initiation? Same with pros, no point to consider their fragilities similarly to the general population.Jumpyjohn14-07-2026
- Dear UAE Please stop being better than everyone else....... doubt this would be an issue if it were a Dutch, Belgian, French or Italian team.. old cycling just can't stand the newslappers6614-07-2026
- Yeah, but I've heard cycling fans say, if Pogi was in team Visma, he would already be a 6X Tour winner, this year he would be "fighting" for his 7th Tour. What do you think about that?mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales14-07-2026
- The 'problem' (for lack of a better word) is the grand tours are all in Europe, so if you shift the TDF, then the Giro or Vuelta (depending on which way they shift the calendar) will then have to be held in the heat. There are also many other races, so the calendar is quite packed and there's not much room to shift. I think it's just something they have to put up with unfortunately. Us cyclists are tough and ride in most weather conditions and the pros are even tougher, so I think this is just more of a "discussion point of the day" and we'll all move on tomorrow to discuss something else haha (24hr news cycle etc).Pogboom14-07-2026
- Can i get an amen up here. We certainly do have a Pogi 1.0 and a Pogi 2.0.
Andrew14-07-2026 - You watch too many moviesAndrew14-07-2026
- Armstrong was using methods that many other riders at the time, and he dominated - perhaps his doping enhanced his already superior physical capabilities. Same could be said of Pog, ie he doesn’t need something unique. Then again, with the UAE resources, he could have something quite unique indeedCrashjames14-07-2026
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