"Visma was deemed too weak” – Boogerd sees reasons to be positive for Visma and Vingegaard

Wout van Aert closed out the 2025 Tour de France in spectacular style, dropping Tadej Pogacar to win the final stage in Paris, ending his long wait for a tenth Tour stage win. Simon Yates had already delivered a stage victory for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, but their campaign ultimately fell short of its primary goal: the yellow jersey. Jonas Vingegaard finished second behind a dominant Pogacar, who comfortably claimed his fourth Tour title. Dutch analyst Michael Boogerd broke down the team’s performance this July in De Telegraaf, and didn’t shy away from hard truths.

"The latter couldn't be of the value to Vingegaard during this Tour that he and the team had expected. The fact that he still showed this resilience is a testament to the rider that Van Aert is. He's always someone who keeps fighting," Boogerd said, reflecting on the Belgian’s Paris heroics on Sunday. "Overall, the team gave it their all. However, Visma was deemed too weak to win this Tour de France. And some moments should have been handled differently."

Boogerd praised the team's early approach, noting that "there was little to criticize about Visma's racing style, especially in the first ten days." Their aggressive tactics in stage 1, creating echelons that created time gaps to Evenepoel and Roglic, showed their intent from the outset. "With Vingegaard, Visma had only come to win the Tour, and they were fully committed to it from the very beginning. In those difficult first stages with a classic feel, Vingegaard was consistently very strong at the front."

But in the mountains, they lacked the firepower of previous years, and could do nothing to wobble the mighty Pogacar. "Visma wasn't as dominant in the mountain stages as they were in the years 2020 through 2023," Boogerd noted.

“Back then, they controlled those kinds of stages, with Vingegaard winning the Tour in 2022 and 2023, but now they didn't have the strength to do so. The level of this eight-man team was lower across the board. Still, I think Visma entertained the fans during this Tour and built a lot of goodwill with their aggressive racing style."

Looking ahead, Boogerd suggested Vingegaard might benefit from broadening his calendar. "Perhaps it would be wise for Vingegaard to ride more one-day races in the future, instead of focusing solely on the Tour, with other stage races as preparation." He explained, "In the classics, there's a different way of racing, and you experience what it's like to ride tough finales, and then you also gain a certain toughness.

“You can see that Pogacar benefits greatly from that. Of course, not every rider is the same, and I don't know if it helps Vingegaard as well, but you can certainly try. You have to keep all options open and change your 'tactics' if something isn't working."

Boogerd also raised the issue of leadership within the team car. "It might also be helpful to have a team manager in the car who has competed for victory in the finals in the past. Visma doesn't really have that," he said.

"Yes, Frans Maassen, but I wonder what influence he has on the race. Someone who does have that experience can better convey it to the riders. Think of it this way: if you've never ridden a Tour de France, you can't explain it to anyone."

"That's not a criticism of these team leaders, but if you want to improve, you can certainly consider such an extra boost of quality as a team," Boogerd emphasised once again. "Every detail can help if you want to win the Tour."