"When he went, I knew I had to ride my own tempo" - Jonas Vingegaard unwilling to explode on Tadej Pogacar's wheel again
CyclingTuesday, 14 July 2026 at 18:23
Jonas Vingegaard lost more ground to Tadej Pogacar on stage 10 of the Tour de France 2026. The Dane could not answer the overall leader’s explosive kick on the penultimate climb of the day and ceded time not only to the solo-winning Slovenian, but also to the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Paul Seixas.
Vingegaard did not try responding to Tadej Pogacar
Visma raced from the wheel, not wanting to spend unnecessary bullets on a day where UAE took responsibility over the pace in the peloton. Matteo Jorgenson suffered a crash; whilst Davide Piganzoli on the other hand put in a stellar ride to lead up the Col de Pertus at a time where UAE slowed down due to Isaac del Toro's difficulties.
Tadej Pogacar attacked and Vingegaard then took over the chasing group throughout much of the final categorized climbs. That was a costly effort however, as in the hilltop finish to Le Lioran, he shed seconds to all of his direct rivals - 12 in total, on the road alone, to Remco Evenepoel, in a matter of 1 kilometer.
A difficult day, and a loss of almost a minute to Tadej Pogacar who looks to be out of reach. Even so, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader sounded satisfied with his ride and made it clear his confidence remains intact ahead of the high mountains, where longer, steadier ascents await, terrain that historically suits him far better.
Jonas Vingegaard ahead of Stage 9 at the 2026 Tour de France
Vingegaard explained that as soon as Pogacar launched, he knew chasing would have been a mistake.“When he went, I knew I had to ride my own tempo. I knew it was a time trial to the line. I got a little help from the others and it was a good day,” summed up the two-time Tour winner.
The Dane chose to meter his effort to the finish rather than try to follow a surge that again showcased the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader’s punch.
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Vingegaard does not lose hope of winning the Tour de France
Although he leaked a few more seconds in the general classification, Vingegaard feels his form is building as the race goes on. “I think my legs are getting better every day, especially on longer climbs, and I hope I can keep improving,” he said.
The coming mountain stages, with long passes and sustained gradients, offer a chance for the Dane to try to shift the Tour’s momentum. To put Pogacar under pressure, he will need to show his best on terrain where he has previously made differences. For now, defending his second place looks like a more realistic approach to his GC battle.
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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- Wym "he can make up some of this" 😂, he was only 3-9 seconds behind and then caught up and was the best of the rest behind pogbruins3014-07-2026
- At least last year, jonas a little bit more interesting rider than this year, he is more explosive. Visma also a lot more passive this year compare to last yearZamorano14-07-2026
- I would like to say to all the French people...yes, the FRENCH...only the ones that booed Pogi... SHAME ON YOU!!! Are you fools suggesting that Pogi has done something wrong, unethical, or foolish, and that he should genuinely feel guilty or embarrassed about his "behavior," that he should have a superiority complex??? If you think so, then I have very harsh words for you, but I won't say them, because I would be banned for the rest of my life. I know their are also good French people, and I'm apologizing to them.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales14-07-2026
- He did most of the work but he was at the back for quite a while too. Like at Tourmalet he stopped pedaling a few meters before the line losing speed and head down. He never used to do that.Cyclingnut14-07-2026
- I would like to say to all the French people...yes, the FRENCH...only the ones that booed Pogi... SHAME ON YOU!!! Are you fools suggesting that Pogi has done something wrong, unethical, or foolish, and that he should genuinely feel guilty or embarrassed about his "behavior," that he should have a superiority complex??? If you think so, then I have very harsh words for you, but I won't say them, because I would be banned for the rest of my life.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales14-07-2026
- H’s been leading the chasers since the start. Hard to tell how he’ll evolve, is he just missing some sharpness from post Giro recovery or is he tired from it, nothing concrete yet but in either case, he’s still doing well against all the fresh young guns after a Giro win.Mistermaumau14-07-2026
- Pidcock?Mistermaumau14-07-2026
- At times he did look like this was a 'bad' day for him. Hard to tell, because his determination to redeem himself after his loss here to Jonas in 2024 must have spurred him on. Jonas seemed to expect to lose more today.Hills3314-07-2026
- Agreed. But he was leading the ‚chase‘ group the complete last climb, probably knowing he will pay for this in the final sprint. That is still class.Ketterechts14-07-2026
- Exactly, pacing himself because he can‘t follow on the mountains. When a downhill or flat section follows, he can make up some of this. But this strategy will be difficult for later mountain top finishes.Ketterechts14-07-2026
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