"Up until the Plateau de Beille, we really thought we could win the Tour" - Tiesj Benoot confides the breaking point of this Tour was stage 15
Cycling
As one of the few Visma | Lease a Bike riders who escaped the spring (severely) unharmed, Tiesj Benoot could only watch his teammates fight on their way to recover in time for the Tour de France. And after all the poor luck, the second place of Jonas Vingegaard feels like a small victory for the Dutch formation.
In his evaluation of the race, Benoot needs to be realistic: "We were of course hoping to win another Tour de France, but we were beaten by a rider and a team who were better this year," Benoot admitted defeat to media after the last stage, "and so we have to be happy with this second place, especially with the preparation experienced by Jonas and Wout, as well as the team's bad luck. It's a positive result."
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"I think I would have signed if I had been told before the start that Jonas was going to finish second. Up until the Plateau de Beille, we really thought we could win the Tour. We tried that day, but it didn't work. We gave it our all, we didn't make any tactical mistakes in my opinion, we always had a plan," continues the 30-year-old Belgian.
Like many, Benoot is still a bit shocked by the performances of his leader. Especially after his injuries "It's incredible what he did, I'm really surprised. Those two weeks in hospital in April, it wasn't a story invented by the team (smiles) and I don't know anyone who can do that, namely finish second in a Tour de France after what he's been through."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
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Dariusz08-11-2026 - Yeah, unreal.
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