Visma admit weakness in Jonas Vingegaard's arsenal "Otherwise he won't be able to match more explosive types like Pogacar, Roglic, and also Evenepoel"

What Jonas Vingegaard has done throughout the past few months is nothing short of impressive, and until a few days ago, he was even placed as the main candidate to win the Tour de France. However that has changed this weekend with Tadej Pogacar's mythical climbing performances. Team Visma | Lease a Bike admit that the Dane lacks explosivity and needs to work on it to match his rivals in the future.

Stage 15, with almost 200 kilometers and 5000 meters of climbing, was just about the least explosive day of the race. A grueling day in the mountains from start to finish, the kind that Vingegaard has used in the past to conquer two Tours. Visma fully prepared to make the difference on this day. "Because we saw opportunities in the stage to Plateau De Beille to make a difference against Pogacar, we extensively analyzed that stage in the past months. We had all our riders prepare for this Tour to deliver a top performance on that Sunday," team DS Merijn Zeeman told Het Laatse Nieuws. And they have done the work, properly and made a huge difference to the entire field except for Pogacar, who one-upped the Visma rider and climbing almost a whole minute faster on Plateau de Beille. 

"I praised the great teamwork and also said that we have six more days to try and win the Tour. We will give it our all," Zeeman promises, but he is very realistic when it comes to the chances of beating the yellow jersey if he does not have a bad day. "If the circumstances remain the same, Pogacar will win. He was much better in the Pyrenees than last year. Hats off, but in the Tour, something happens every day. Look at Primoz Roglic, I don't wish it on anyone, but it could happen to Pogacar too. You have to stay healthy, stay well-positioned".

Crosswinds are expected today into Nimes, and there are still three mountain stages left, of which one climbs up the Cime de la Bonette - the Tour's highest-ever raced climb. It can't be said that the high altitude and long ascents are a problem for Pogacar anymore, but on paper it is an effort better suited to Vingegaard.

Visma have not thrown in the towel and taking into consideration Pogacar lost almost six minutes in a single day last year (having been dropped up the Col de la Loze), the race is only decided when the riders cross the line in Nice this Sunday.

"We will still forge plans, but first we must ensure that we ourselves perform at our best. The climb to Plateau De Beille was one of Jonas's best performances during a forty-minute climb. I have never seen an athlete improve so quickly through training as Jonas," Zeeman admits.

Despite having been defeated, the team leader praises Vingegaard for the immense performance on what could've been the queen stage of the race. "His lead-up to this Tour was extreme, but in 2021 he had Achilles tendon issues during the preparatory altitude training and could hardly train for an hour and a half, while his teammates completed six-hour sessions. Yet he finished second in the Tour".

"Jonas will need to work on his explosiveness in the coming years, otherwise he won't be able to match more explosive types like Pogacar, Roglic, and also Evenepoel. An era of a single ruler, whom you know beforehand will win the Tour without mishap, is never fun to watch. And I think Jonas's resistance will have to come," he concluded.