"They don’t quite see Jonas as a big enough star" - Danish icon agrees with criticism of Visma from Jonas Vingegaard's wife

The wife of Jonas Vingegaard sent the cycling world into a frenzy last weekend, when in a pair of box-office interviews in the Danish press, she publicly criticised Team Visma | Lease a Bike's handling of her husband.

It's fair to say that the interviews with Politiken and Jyllands-Posten from Trine Vingegaard Hansen have been widely questioned, with especially their timing being criticised and the claim made that it could actually prove a distraction for Vingegaard's quest to reclaim the Maillot Jaune at the 2025 Tour de France. 

One of the points made by Trine, was Team Visma | Lease a Bike's perceived lack of support given to Vingegaard on some stages, as riders such as Wout van Aert are given the freedom go for stage wins and their own goals. “If you’re also going for stage wins with other riders, then those efforts can’t be used to support Jonas,” she said.

On this point at least, Trine Vingegaard can count Danish cycling icon Brian Holm as a supporter. Holm, who rode 7 Tours de France as a rider before adjusting to a sports director role at Soudal - Quick-Step and more recently a commentary role for Eurosport, agree with Vingegaard's wife that Visma could and should do more to fully support their team leader.

“This isn’t new. I’ve been saying it for three years. They always claim they’re going for both stage wins and the GC with Vingegaard. They’ve always done that. And I’ve never been comfortable with it,” Holm notes in his analysis of the 2025 Tour de France for Eurosport, comparing Visma's treatment of Vingegaard to UAE Team Emirates - XRG's treatment of Tadej Pogacar. “You don’t see that happening at UAE. There it’s all about Pogacar, Pogacar, Pogacar. And personally, I prefer that approach.”

“They can’t seem to decide, and maybe it’s because they don’t quite see Jonas as a big enough star. Sometimes, when you try to do both things, you end up doing neither,” Holm continues, referencing the split loyalties of Visma to a number of their riders.

“The day he’s alone, with teammates either up the road or worn out from chasing stage wins the day before, it’s going to hurt. If Matteo Jorgenson also starts attacking in the mountains, you basically won’t have a team left,” concludes the Dane. “We’ve seen this before. They claim those riders are ‘satellites’, but it’s pretty clear when they’re chasing stage wins instead of protecting their leader.”