Jonas Vingegaard takes yellow at Tour de France: ‘It would be better to have two minutes than 25 seconds’
Reigning champion in yellow jersey but Tadej Pogačar strikes back
Jonas Vingegaard cut a defiant figure at the top of Cauterets-Cambasque on Thursday when he pulled on the yellow jersey of the Tour de France for the first time in 2023.
Despite his performance on the road to Laruns on stage five, the Jumbo-Visma man now holds the jersey by just 25 seconds from a rampaging Tadej Pogačar who took the stage honours at Cauterets-Cambasque.
After being steam-rollered by Jumbo-Visma and Vingegaard on the Col de La Marie-Blanque on Wednesday, the two-time Tour champion struck back on Thursday’s summit finish.
Vingegaard explained that while he was happy to pull on the maillot jaune once more, both he and his Jumbo teammates perhaps went too deep on the penultimate climb of the day - the Col du Tourmalet - which they then paid for when the final climb arrived.
“It would be better to have two minutes than 25 seconds, but I’m just super happy to be in the leader’s jersey,” Vingegaard said. “Obviously, we wanted to attack on the Tourmalet. It did cost quite some energy, so in a way he [Pogačar] was just stronger today, so he really deserved to win.”
“I’m really happy to be back in yellow,” he added. “It's always nice to be the wearer of it. I hoped to at least stay with Tadej, but he was really strong on the last climb, so he deserved to win. I would also have liked to win today of course.”
Jumbo-Visma attempted to isolate Pogačar on the Col du Tourmalet, which they succeeded in, but Vingegaard could not drop the Slovenian, who then attacked and took time on the final climb.
Vingegaard dug in, limiting his losses, and later told the media that after their many battles against one another, Pogačar’s move was certainly not unexpected.
“Not at all,” he said. “I think we’ve seen this before [from him]. I felt good today, I wanted to give it a shot, and he was obviously very strong today. I guess it will be a very exciting Tour de France this year.”
Vingegaard’s sentiments were backed up by his key Jumbo domestique, Sepp Kuss, who told the media that despite the Slovenian beginning to look beaten in Laruns, Jumbo were well aware that he would look to strike back.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
“We can be happy with how we try to take on the race. But yeah, Pogačar is the best cyclist in the world,” Kuss said. “So we have to be ready for the days that he bounces back and the kind of rider that he is."
Jumbo had ensured Wout van Aert made the day’s breakaway ready for their planned move on the Tourmalet and ready to act as a satellite rider once Vingegaard attacked. Kuss explained that after the team’s dominance on the previous stage, Jumbo wanted to strike again to further place Pogačar into difficulty.
“We wanted to try,” he explained. “Yesterday, we did take some time on him. So we wanted to try again today while there was still the hard day from yesterday in the legs. “Today's course, especially the earlier climbs, were really good for Jonas.”
They may have yellow, but it will be a case of back to the drawing board for Jumbo-Visma tonight, with Pogačar resurgent. Time for a reset and rethink as the French Grand Tour rolls on to Bordeaux.
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
Tom joined Cycling Weekly in early 2022 and his news stories, rider interviews and features appear both online and in the magazine.
He has reported from some of professional cycling's biggest races and events including the Tour de France and the recent Glasgow World Championships. He has also covered races elsewhere across the world and interviewed some of the sport's top riders.
When not writing news scoops from the WorldTour, or covering stories from elsewhere in the domestic professional scene, he reports on goings on at bike shops up and down the UK, where he is based when not out on the road at races. He has also appeared on the Radio Cycling podcast.
-
Wout van Aert back on drop bars as he says he’s ‘almost professional again’ in Strava post
Visma-Lease a Bike rider broke his collarbone, sternum and several ribs in a high speed crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'Ride like you own the road' - Zoe Bäckstedt on Paris-Roubaix Femmes, her Grand Tour debut and her new Red Bull helmet
Bäckstedt recently landed sponsorship from the energy drink giants and joined the likes of Tom Pidcock, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Evie Richards as a Red Bull athlete
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Wout van Aert back on drop bars as he says he’s ‘almost professional again’ in Strava post
Visma-Lease a Bike rider broke his collarbone, sternum and several ribs in a high speed crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Jonas Vingegaard leaves hospital after Itzulia Basque Country horror crash
Danish rider underwent surgery to repair broken collarbone; too early to know whether Tour de France return will be possible
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Will the Tour de France be won by the last man standing?
With Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič hitting the deck at Itzulia Basque Country, all three now face battle to get their seasons back on track
By Adam Becket Published
-
Jonas Vingegaard suffers broken collarbone, 'several' broken ribs and collapsed lung in Itzulia crash
Tour de France champion in hospital and set for recovery period. Remco Evenepoel also suffers broken collarbone
By Tom Davidson Last updated
-
Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič and Remco Evenepoel caught up in huge crash at Itzulia Basque Country
Race neutralised as horror crash sees three of the favourites caught up in incident
By Adam Becket Published
-
Tom Pidcock unable to bear weight on right leg after Itzulia Basque Country crash
British rider crashed during recon of opening stage time trial last weekend and injured his right hip
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Mark Cavendish to miss Scheldeprijs as illness continues to affect schedule
Cavendish will ride Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye later this month, Astana Qazaqstan confirms
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tadej Pogačar: 'I want to be the best ever cyclist'
The Slovenian utterly dominated the Volta a Catalunya, winning the three mountainous stages and even a final day sprint
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published