“Vingegaard is now at a level that matches Pogacar... You have to be careful saying that” - Rolf Sorensen raises Tour de France stakes after dominant Giro d’Italia
Cycling
Rolf Sorensen, a former Tour de France stage winner and one of Denmark’s leading cycling analysts, believes Jonas Vingegaard’s dominant Giro d’Italia has changed the tone of the Tour de France build-up, claiming the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader is now operating at a level that can once again match Tadej Pogacar.
Vingegaard is set to leave Rome with the maglia rosa, five stage wins and a Grand Tour Triple Crown after controlling the Giro across three weeks. His final mountain display on Piancavallo added another emphatic image, as he attacked with around 11 kilometres remaining, dropped Felix Gall and rode solo to another stage victory.
Pogacar remains the reference point in modern cycling after winning the last two editions of the Tour de France and dominating much of the past two seasons. Sorensen still sees a much tighter fight coming in July.
“Pogacar has been outstandingly the best in the world over the past couple of years, but I think Vingegaard is now at a level that matches Pogacar,” Sorensen said on TV 2 Sport. “And you have to be careful saying that, but I think he is. This really bodes well for the Tour de France.”
Vingegaard leaves Giro with Tour warning
Vingegaard’s Giro has become far more than a controlled first step towards the Tour. He won repeatedly, extended his advantage whenever the race hit the hardest climbs and finished the final mountain stage with another solo statement.
His overall lead over Gall stands at 5:22 with only the final stage in Rome remaining. Jai Hindley, Thymen Arensman and Derek Gee-West were left fighting over the remaining places behind, while Vingegaard used the race to build form and collect victories rather than simply defend pink.
Whilst Vingegaard has not faced Pogacar directly at this Giro, the level he's shown in Italy has put the rivalry back at the centre of the Tour conversation before the race reaches Barcelona on 4 July.
Jonas Vingegaard in action at the 2026 Giro d'Italia
Tour de France rivalry comes back into focus
The 2026 Tour de France now carries a different feel than it did before the Giro. Pogacar will still arrive as the dominant force in the sport, with his recent Grand Tour and one-day record keeping him at the top of the hierarchy.
Vingegaard’s Giro has given Visma | Lease a Bike a major counterweight. Five stage wins, repeated mountain superiority and near-total control of the GC battle have left the Dane looking far closer to the rider who twice beat Pogacar at the Tour.
The route, the teams and the direct head-to-head will decide the rest. Sorensen’s assessment raises the stakes before that battle begins. For the first time in a while, the question around July does not feel like whether Vingegaard can get back into the fight. After three weeks in Italy, Sorensen believes he already has.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 7visitors 5
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- She deviated from her line - end of
leedorney10-11-2026 - If I was Lucinda Brand, I'd refuse to wear the jersey. Is there a rule that she "has to" wear it, as the winner? It would certainly feel like stolen valor.wrsty10-11-2026
- but don't let your socks be too long or handlebars be a cm too narrow.mij10-11-2026
- Saw a casual interview with Geraint Thomas and him a few years ago. Seems like a nice laid guy and I wish him well.GregT10-11-2026
- Ernesto Maggioni - The president of the commissaires Mafia. It is getting evident that this guy is basically "Iamalwaysrightandyouarestupidsoiwontlistentoyou" kind of guy. So fire him so that he can be always right in his homeabstractengineer10-11-2026
- Somehow it has got into his mind that he is a GC rider. He is primarily a classics and stage rider who can perform on GC given his day. As a result he is wasting his time on TDF GC and once committed to GC you are too tired to do anything else.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- 🐐❤️Lozza09-11-2026
- This is such a black eye to women's professional cyclocross if this result remains. Marie Schreiber won this race fairly. This finish is not unlike others in cyclocross. Lots of moving around to get to the finish not to cut anyone off , but to generate a sprint on soft wide tires caked with mud and sand. This is not nearly the same as a road race between two riders sprinting to the finish on faster bikes and thinner firmer tires. The powers in charge need to use some common sense, reverse this result and remember this is Cyclocross not Road racing. Unbelievable. . .Zencycle09-11-2026
- Tis beyond your comprehension fine sir so best not to look on with blind eyes to THE GOATS greatness.
Brucegel09-11-2026 - McNulty winning was beneficial in ensuring the rainbow jersey would not remain winless
Front24209-11-2026
Loading
10 Comments