Team Visma | Lease a Bike launched their most coordinated
offensive of the Tour de France so far on Mont Ventoux, unleashing a
multi-rider effort designed to unsettle the race leader. Wout van Aert opened
the assault, followed in sequence by Simon Yates, a huge pull by Sepp Kuss, and
finally the satellite support of Tiesj Benoot and Victor Campenaerts. Each move
was intended to pile pressure on Tadej Pogacar and create a crack in the yellow
jersey’s armour. But by the summit, Pogacar remained firmly in control.
"In a way it's a nice or interesting position to be in,
because there's already a decent margin, so we really have nothing to lose by
trying," Sepp Kuss said at the summit. "We can really go down
swinging and try at every moment."
Kuss went on to say, "It's an interesting position to
be in, because we really have nothing to lose. Jonas doesn't care if he loses
more time, or if he loses a place in the GC. We don't know exactly where we'll
attack, but at least just with the mindset that there's nothing to lose, and
that makes it motivating for the rest of us to give it everything and not end
the Tour with any regrets."
With Pogacar holding a firm grip on yellow and Joao Almeida
out of the race, Visma appears to have the stronger climbing team as the Tour
heads into its final Alpine challenges. In Yates and Kuss, Vingegaard is
supported by two grand tour winners in their own right, and Jorgenson is also usually
very strong when the road goes uphill. Still, Pogacar has yet to show any signs
of faltering.
"In the end we just want to have fun racing and go for
it and think outside the box when it's possible," Kuss added. "I
think the most important thing is that Jonas feels good and then with that we
can do a lot of interesting things."
Such was the pace set by Visma, that Pogacar and Vingegaard
both smashed Pantani’s long-lasting record on the climb. Remember too, that
this was the climb where Vingegaard first put the Slovenian in to difficulty
four years ago in 2021, when Wout van Aert won the stage. Those incredible
memories were likely what spurred the Dutch team on yesterday.
Visma’s tactics on Ventoux were ambitious. Victor
Campenaerts revealed that plans shifted mid-race in an effort to surprise
Pogacar. "Initially, we wanted to try to ride to within 1.5km of the
summit, because from there it gets steeper again," he said. "But
Jonas told me he wanted to go earlier so Tadej couldn't recover. It looked
really impressive."
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Benoot outlined the full scope of the plan, which hinged on
careful timing and placement of key riders in the breakaway. "We wanted to
put pressure on Pogačar of course," he said. "It was good that we had
two guys in the break, so I could wait until Simon [Yates] and Sepp were done,
then on my turn Jonas went again and I think Victor [Campenaerts] was straight
there."
Even in defeat, Benoot saw positives in the team’s execution
of the plan. "We did our best today, with the headwind after Chalet
Reynard we knew he would need a teammate – it was a big advantage to have a
teammate. We succeeded in the plan, and two more Alps stages to go."
As for Vingegaard, his teammates were left encouraged by
what they saw. "I didn't talk to Jonas yet, but he looked really
good," Benoot said. "It was also impressed after I did my turn that
he could still accelerate."
Read also
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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