"Vingegaard is the only one to beat Pogacar in stage races. To also take on Pogacar in one-day races – that’s a lot to ask": Visma leader urged to focus on what he’s good at

As speculation grows over whether Jonas Vingegaard could one day broaden his horizons beyond the Grand Tours, Eurosport’s team of Danish cycling experts have urged caution — warning that the two-time Tour de France winner should not risk diluting his formidable stage-racing strengths in pursuit of the sport’s biggest one-day Classics.

Few riders in modern cycling have defined themselves so completely by their mastery of the stage race as Vingegaard. From the high mountains of the Tour de France to the tactical depth of the Vuelta a Espana — which he won in 2025 ahead of João Almeida and Tom Pidcock — the Dane’s success has been built on precision, control and endurance. His long, measured efforts and high-altitude resilience have made him the only rider in recent years to defeat Tadej Pogacar over three weeks, doing so twice at the Tour de France.

But with Pogacar’s dominance across multiple terrains — from Liège–Bastogne–Liège to Il Lombardia — the natural question is whether Vingegaard might one day look to test himself on the same one-day battlegrounds. For Eurosport analyst Jesper Worre, however, that idea is fraught with risk. “It would be fantastic if he chose to prioritise one-day races,” Worre told Eurosport. “But it would demand altitude camps, a complete reworking of his preparation, and several smaller one-day races to build rhythm. He could then compete at Lombardy or Liège–Bastogne–Liège — but it’s a huge commitment.”

Worre added that while Vingegaard has the physical ability to succeed, it’s a question of mindset as much as talent. “He can certainly do it, but only if he truly wants it. If he’s divided inside and not fully committed, then it’s better he stays focused on stage races.”

Fellow Eurosport commentator Bastian Emil Goldschmidt echoed those concerns, reminding fans that Vingegaard already gives more than enough through his stage-racing exploits. “I think we already get so much from Vingegaard,” Goldschmidt said. “He’s the only one who’s beaten Pogacar in the biggest stage races. For him now to also take on Pogacar in one-day races — where Pogacar is arguably the rider of the decade — that’s a lot to ask.”

Worre agreed, stressing that even cycling’s greatest champions must refine, not reinvent. “To perform at world level, you have to keep improving what you’re already good at,” he said. “Jonas should strengthen his stage-racing ability, which suits his engine perfectly. He’s at his best in that domain.”

The analysts’ hesitation isn’t about limiting ambition; it’s about opportunity cost. Pogacar’s 2025 reset the bar yet again: a fourth Tour de France title, dominance through the spring, and the World Championships road race victory in Kigali, plus bronze in the time trial. To meet that standard across both stage races and one-day monuments would require Vingegaard to retool training blocks, peaking strategy and race rhythm — and risk blunting the very edge that wins him Grand Tours.

Tactically, the gap between their profiles is stark. Pogacar’s repertoire in one-day racing leans on repeatability in high-torque accelerations, the ability to open and close gaps on sub-optimal gradients, and relentless initiative. Vingegaard’s superiority resides in long, oxygen-thin efforts, metronomic pacing and altitude-hardened control — assets that scale best over three weeks.

Could Vingegaard contend at Il Lombardia or Liege-Bastogne-Liege? On terrain, yes: selective climbing, limited flat, reduced sprints — these are the Classics most sympathetic to a GC engine. But the marginal gains that keep him unbeatable across mountain blocks and third-week TTs are the same marginal gains he’d need to sacrifice to build the punch, positioning and race-hardness that one-day warfare demands.