Visma confirm Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour de France: "The Tour will be his main goal again next year"

Grischa Niermann, DS of Team Visma | Lease a Bike was in Paris this morning for the presentation of the Tour de France; and being the head figure of the Dutch team at the event, he was asked about Jonas Vingegaard and his thoughts on how the Dane could race in next year's edition of the race.

“It is a very beautiful route. It is a particularly tough Tour de France, especially the second and third weeks. The organization has some beautiful stages and climbs in store. Climbs that Jonas has fond memories of. It is generally a beautiful Tour de France," he said to a group of reporters.

The route will be very well know for Vingegaard, as in the Pyrenees he will face summit finishes in Hautacam and Peyragudes just as he has when he won his first Tour in 2022, and also the Col de la Loze which he rode in the yellow jersey in 2023. The biggest challenge for the climber is going to be the explosive and treacherous first week where the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel could have the upper hand on him.

But matching Pogacar uphill is the first challenge to begin with. “The challenge now is to continue working and close the gap. We are certain that Jonas can and will perform even better with better preparation. However, we still have a lot of work to do, as the difference with Pogacar was big this year. The latter will also be the man to beat next year. Jonas is now fully preparing for the new season. That is also normal. We will make plans next week and map out what his season will look like. Normally, the Tour will be his main goal again next year.”

Vingegaard is currently already training in preparation for next year, an early start for a rider who is devoted to becoming the world's best climber once again. The Tour de France is going to be on the table, but Niermann also tackles the topic of whether he will race another Grand Tour in 2025: “The Giro? It is indeed an option. But the Tour-Vuelta combination is also an option, or just the Tour de France. We still have to decide that. The only thing I can say now is that we are happy with the Tour route. It is really something for Jonas”,