"We want to win" - Visma light up battle for Tour de France on the Col du Haag but fail to take time on Pogacar
CyclingSaturday, 18 July 2026 at 19:35
Team Visma | Lease a Bike put in some pace today in the Vosges and for the first time, on the Col du Haag, paced the GC group and tried attacking the race. The team didn't bring its results, but put to work a different tactic.
Sepp Kuss present in the aid of Vingegaard
UAE Team Emirates - XRG controlled the affairs on stage 14, and only on the final climb was there a change of face in the peloton. Both Decathlon and Visma took over, providing quite strong pulls against a UAE that collectively looked less strong with its support crew of Tadej Pogacar and Isaac del Toro.
Sepp Kuss took up the pace after Nicolas Prodhomme, and then closed the initial attack of Florian Lipowitz and Paul Seixas on the final climb. Right after, Jonas Vingegaard took the lead of the group. "We wanted to make a big effort in the final kilometers by accelerating for Jonas," Kuss shared with the media after the finish, including Cyclism'Actu.
But no tactic would be enough to dethrone a Pogacar that was still above the rest by far. "He gave it his all and limited the damage, but Pogacar was incredibly strong. We approach each day with a good mindset; we want to win. It may still seem far away, take longer than we'd like, but I think that's what it takes when everything is tough".
"When you're losing, you still need to have a strong mentality to try and win. Every time we drop someone, it's always a good thing. I think Jonas would have preferred to be with Pogacar. But I believe he's really strong..."
Jonas Vingegaard leading the GC group on the Col du Haag
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Vingegaard strong, but Pogacar remains stronger
Visma have not attacked the race hard, but instead Vingegaard hit the front with a few kilometers still remaining to the summit of the final climb and maintained a constant pace. The idea, certainly, was to drain Pogacar of his explosivity - a plan that ultimately did not work.
Vingegaard had the legs to drop the competition, and was then joined by Paul Seixas who provided some help in the plateau to the finish - whilst Isaac del Toro joined and then outsprinted them to the line.
"UAE kept the breakaway tight, although it should have been better and we should have had someone with those eight who rode away," team DS Marc Reef shared with NOS. "Then you would have had someone there further into the race and perhaps you could have meant something for Jonas later on. Although that wouldn't have made much difference now, because everything came back together".
"Jonas did well on the final climb, but Pogacar is stronger. We have to be realistic that he is stronger, because we are doing everything we can," he adds. The difference between the two grows, whilst it remains clear that Pogacar in mainly in a battle with himself to conquer a fifth title.
Visma is attempting, and the race may suit it better in the upcoming week of racing. "To date, it hasn't been meant to be. The team is on the way back; it is a good step that they have shown this. Hopefully, we continue this trend and the riders improve during the race. Then we can showcase that later in the race," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Yawn.
santiagobenites18-07-2026 - Stage 14 and there's 5 guys within a minute of JV. I think there is a good chance JV may finish around 5th place. He looks as good as these other 5 riders. And that's not good for him.Cyclingnut18-07-2026
- Happy for Tadej, sad for Jonas. I hope he keeps winning the races Tadej doesn't compete in. more Vueltas, Giros, Paris-Nices, Dauphinés, Itzulias... having an even more successful career than he already has; unfortunately, he was born in the same era as that alien, Tadej.
liborio18-07-2026 - The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth: Vingegaard has already ridden his best Tours. He's no longer a serious rival to Pogačar, and even less so in the years to come. Del Toro and Seixas are more likely contenders, and there will probably be others as well. But none of that changes the fact: once Pogi wins his eighth Tour, he'll retire. Everyone else will get their chance afterward.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales18-07-2026
- The Visma plan is going in the right direction. Everything is according to plan, don't worry guys. Let's see that famous plan of Visma tomorrow, I can't wait and I'm sure DelToro and Pogačar can't wait either... LOL ...mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales18-07-2026
- No, Remco drifted off the back but then fought back and pushed to the line. He really is handling the long climbs better than I thought. On a mountain top finish though, Lippo is their man.Pedalmasher18-07-2026
- finally some selection. unfortunately, i could only watch it without sound. did lipo have to wait for remco AGAIN?Ketterechts18-07-2026
- Remco the slaveabstractengineer18-07-2026
- It must make Lance crazy to know he will never be anything other than a shit stain on cycling.Crashjames18-07-2026
- If they were smart, Visma would keep the bunch together as long as possible, letting the top 10 stay in the mix - let them attack and force tadej to burn up his men chasing the attacks.Crashjames18-07-2026
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