"We feared losing time in this stage" - Visma delighted at "best possible outcome" as Jonas Vingegaard matches Tadej Pogacar on stage 2 of 2024 Tour de France

Any questions around Jonas Vingegaard's fitness and physical shape following his spring crash were emphatically put to bed on stage 2 of the 2024 Tour de France as the defending Tour de France champion matched Tadej Pogacar's brutal attack.

Even at his peak level, the parcour of stage 2 would have been better suited to Pogacar than Vingegaard, so for the Dane to so comfortably follow his old rival despite all the uncertainty was a massive positive for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, as detailed by Grischa Niermann post-stage. “This is the best possible outcome for us,” the Visma sports director tells NOS.

"Pogacar that Jonas cannot get rid of and no bonus seconds at the finish. There was another bad crash by Wout van Aert and Matteo Jorgenson, but they seem okay. Wilco Kelderman is also good despite his fall yesterday," Niermann continues, detailing a stage that whilst far from perfect for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, saw the positive more than outweigh any potential concerns.

With Vingegaard now up to 3rd overall in the general classification, level on time with Pogacar who moves into the Maillot Jaune and fellow contenders Remco Evenepoel and Richard Carapaz, who fought back bravely to limit any potential time losses to the two Tour de France titans in a thrilling finale to the second stage. "Jonas was super good on Pogacar terrain," Niermann continues. "We feared losing time in this stage. That didn't happen and so we are very satisfied with today."

"It says he's okay at the moment, but the Tour de France lasts three weeks. The day after tomorrow is another tough stage. We haven't had the preparation we wanted, but it seems to be going well," Niermann concludes, staying somewhat reserved despite the positive signs. "It remains a bit of a race in the unknown. We hope he can get even better, because this was not the preparation we planned in the winter."