"We just have to focus on our performance” – Kuss and Jorgenson ready to put everything on the line for Vingegaard

Team Visma | Lease a Bike knows it’s playing from behind. After ten stages of the 2025 Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar holds a 1:17 lead over Jonas Vingegaard, and while the Pyrenees loom, the Slovenian hasn't blinked.

On Stage 10, Matteo Jorgenson made a bold move, trying to dislodge Pogaxar on the final climb, but the yellow jersey held firm. Speaking to CyclingNews, Jorgenson summed up the opening phase of the race with a mixture of realism and optimism.

“These first 10 days have been explosive, pretty stressful. We've only had one mountain stage, but the gaps are already pretty big in the GC, so I think it's gonna be one of the hardest Tours ever.”

Despite a stage win from Simon Yates and consistent attacks, the breakthrough hasn’t come yet. “We tried our best these first 10 days to find an opportunity; we didn't quite find it, but we'll keep going this way,” Jorgenson said. “Thankfully, we brought some very good climbers along for the ride.”

That depth, Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss, Wout van Aert, and Simon Yates, will be critical in the high mountains. The team remains optimistic, even if UAE has been immovable so far.

“There are 1000 scenarios that can happen on a day like this, but first of all, it was amazing that Simon could win the stage,” Kuss told reporters. “UAE rode a strong race, and we couldn't crack them just yet, but it was nice to try.”

“Similar to other years, now we're definitely more the underdogs, so we have to be a bit more creative than just going as fast as we can up the last climb,” he said. “I think every team has their different tactics: some stick more to the book, some not, but in the end, on stages like this, you can be a bit more creative.”

They’ve yet to find the weak spot, but Visma is still hunting.

“You never know [when you will crack them], on paper, it's not so easy, but you just have to wait for the moment,” Kuss added. “They're riding really well, really strong, and they have a great team. We just have to focus on our performance, see what we can get out of ourselves and go from there.”

Despite the pressure, morale within the team is high. “We were always where we needed to be together, and it was a pleasure,” said Kuss. “I'm also having a bunch of fun with the group, and we're laughing a lot, so it's a really good atmosphere.”