'I don’t think about who’s the moral winner' - Jonas Vingegaard on Tour de France stalemate
The Jumbo-Visma rider gained one second on stage 14, but could not land a killer blow on Tadej Pogačar
Jonas Vingegaard does not deal in hypotheticals. The Jumbo-Visma rider, the race leader at this year’s Tour de France after two weeks of racing, will not entertain imagined scenarios.
The Dane deals in facts. After 14 stages, he leads Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) by ten seconds. There are just seven stages left, of which only three are likely to be decisive in the general classification battle.
Take Pogačar’s aborted attack - thanks to fans and motorbikes being too close - at the top of the Col de Joux Plane. There is no point for Vingegaard to ask “what if”. It didn’t happen, he ended up being the beneficiary of the maximum bonus seconds at the top of the climb, and therefore his race lead has been strengthened.
"I gained one second, so in that case, I’m now 10 seconds in front," Vingegaard matter-of-factly said in the post-stage press conference. "It’s always hard to tell the moral winner. We are happy with how it went, and I don’t think about who’s the moral winner."
It's simple for him. Today, he and Pogačar were locked in stalemate. Tomorrow, they will try again. Despite the lack of daylight between the pair - 10 seconds is nothing, really - Vingegaard is still convinced that the Tour will be won by minutes, not seconds. The longer the stalemate goes on, however, the more likely the race will come down to bonus seconds, or a short sprint, or a brief loss of concentration.
There was a brief moment when it did look like more of a gap would be made, as Pogačar attacked with 3.7km to go to the top of the final climb, and put a handful of seconds into Vingegaard, but the latter slowly brought it back.
"Pogačar didn't manage to get away, and we managed to take a second, so it was a nice duel between the two," Jumbo-Visma directeur sportif Frans Maassen said post-stage. "Maybe in the next few days it will change again, the situation, but it was equal I think, at one point. We will have to see tomorrow.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"They made history. I think, it was really nice for everyone to watch the Tour de France today, and also from us in the car it was really nice for us to be there. We went full, and we didn't manage to win the stage, and neither did Pogačar, but I think we saw an exciting stage."
All Vingegaard had to say on the incident was: "He [Pogačar] had a very strong attack, and I just had to do my own tempo, and luckily it was enough to catch back up with him."
Nothing was lost on Saturday, then, but equally, nothing was particularly gained. Jumbo-Visma drilled it on the front all day, with the whole team, from Dylan van Baarle to Wout van Aert, via Sepp Kuss, putting in huge turns on the front to thin the bunch out, to isolate Pogačar. And yet, only one second was taken at the end of the stage.
The toll of the effort might show in the coming days; surely it will be impossible for Jumbo to attempt this tactic again and again.
“It’s a nice feeling when everybody is motivated for our plan,” Kuss said. “Jonas was also motivating us the whole time, saying that he was feeling good, and that we were riding really well, despite it being a hard day. Jonas gave it everything.
“Ideally, Jonas would have been solo, but it's good that he came back to Pogačar and we got the bonus seconds on the top. In the finish, you never know who goes ahead, and takes the stage win, so that took some of the bonus seconds. Ideally, we would have had a beautiful solo victory.”
It also seems like Jumbo-Visma are running out of plans to dislodge Pogačar from their side, and the Slovenian always seems more able to steal a few seconds, get a bonus, sprint past Vingegaard - the gap is just 10 seconds, remember.
"We are happy with how we did, we are happy with how the team and I performed," Vingegaard said, however. "Once again I wanted to say thanks to all my teammates, they really hard today and they did amazing once again."
"It was not what we wanted, but Jonas fought for that really well," Maassen said.
"[There's] no disappointment. We went full for it, that's racing, and we have to try again every day."
It seems impossible to say where the momentum is in this see-saw Tour de France, but the longer Vinegaard and Pogačar remain locked in a duel, the more the latter will feel emboldened. Three decisive Alpine stages remain.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling, he's happy. Before joining CW in 2021 he spent two years writing for Procycling. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds.
Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to riding bikes.
-
Collapsed lung, concussion and multiple fractures: Fundraiser set up for first ever Tour de France Féminin winner following crash
Marianne Martin crashed earlier in October and is looking to raise $20,000 to help her get back on her feet
By Adam Becket Published
-
Gravel riders - get ready, set, register! A guide to 2025's biggest gravel events and key registration dates
Here are the registration dates for gravel’s biggest events around the globe
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Tadej Pogačar says blistering Sormano attack was 'planned' after cruising to fourth Il Lombardia title
World Champion ends his season on a high in Italy with 25th victory of the year secured at Italian Monument
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Mark Cavendish to conclude professional cycling career in Singapore
Tour de France stage win record holder to bring curtain down on racing career at ASO end of season criteriums in Asia
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Alpe d'Huez, Mont Ventoux, and all the route rumours for the 2025 Tour de France
Here's where the peloton may be heading next July
By Tom Davidson Published
-
How Tadej Pogačar created history and claimed cycling's Triple Crown of the Giro-Tour-Worlds
A journey that was supposedly fraught with risk and uncertainty was anything but for Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and World Championships victor Tadej Pogačar
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Pogačar mania takes hold in Canada with 2026 Montréal World Championships on the horizon
Organiser of GP Québec and Montréal gearing up for Worlds returning to North America in 2026
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Simon Yates says he took a pay cut in order to join Visma-Lease a Bike
32-year-old says it was now or never as he gets set to leave Jayco AIUla after eleven years
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tadej Pogačar misses out on GP Québec win on return to WorldTour action
Slovenian finishes seventh in first race back since third Tour de France victory
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Matteo Jorgenson: 'I would like to go for GC in a Grand Tour at some point'
'It’s been everything that I’ve dreamed of so far' says American as he reflects on debut season with Visma-Lease a Bike
By Tom Thewlis Published