A prime Visma-Lease a Bike sports activities director has insisted that double Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard has to up his recreation or that the possibilities he’ll be capable of beat arch-rival Tadej Pogačar sooner or later will drop considerably.
After back-to-back Tour de France victories in 2020 and 2021, adopted by two by Vingegaard in 2022 and 2023, this July in France Pogačar (UAE Workforce Emirates) managed to show the tables on the Dane as soon as once more and win his third Tour in 5 editions.
Talking in a private capability, Visma sports activities director Frans Maassen has informed Danish newspaper BT that Pogačar is now working on a stage that Vingegaard should work very exhausting to achieve.
Maassen additionally performed down the concept Vingegaard would possibly add a Giro d’Italia debut to his program in 2025, saying he didn’t perceive the place the hearsay that the Dane would possibly achieve this had emerged and that “Proper now, I do not see that concept as life like.”
Vingegaard was badly injured in April and was on the comeback path for a lot of weeks previous to the Tour de France. Maassen insisted that the Danish star had gained significantly in psychological resilience over the course of time and that “Now his engine is below management once more after the crash and Jonas himself is a man who is tough to beat.”
“I feel he has develop into a distinct rider after this yr. Now he has ‘survived’ every thing and subsequent yr he’ll compete with the world’s greatest riders once more.”
Vingegaard’s 2024 season is already over, together with his final race the general victory within the Tour de Pologne in August. Nonetheless, Maassen recognised that defeating Pogačar in 2025 within the Tour de France could be something however easy for the Dane and that “he has to discover a technique to get higher.”
“Jonas is one thing particular. We should see how his preparation goes and the way robust he’s. I hope he can beat Pogačar, but it surely’s exhausting to say.”
Unsurprisingly, Maassen stated it could be all however inconceivable that Vingegaard wouldn’t do the Tour de France in 2025. However ought to it’s confirmed that Vingegaard would proceed to skip the Giro subsequent season as effectively, that will arguably render the Visma rider’s have to take the battle to Pogačar on extra equal phrases much more urgent.
“Jonas doesn’t like the thought of getting to return to the Tour and end second,” Maassen informed BT. “He desires to be the perfect and has to work very exhausting to get higher, and it is going to be a problem as a result of if he stays on the identical stage, he in all probability will not be capable of beat Tadej Pogačar anymore.”
