'I got the answers that my legs are extremely good' - Vingegaard takes confidence from Col du Haag test

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) remains confident despite losing further time to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) on Stage 14 of the 2026 Tour de France, with the Dane insisting he "got the answers that my legs are extremely good" after an aggressive effort on the final climb to Le Markstein.

Visma attempted to put Pogačar under pressure on the Col du Haag, with Sepp Kuss sent forward before Vingegaard took control at the front of the yellow jersey group.

Vingegaard rode determinedly at the front of the selective yellow jersey group on the climb following the efforts of Kuss, with the polka dot jersey wearer rarely looking back for assistance.

When Pogačar made his move with 7.5km remaining, Vingegaard tried to respond, but as has been the case throughout this year's Tour, was unable to get on terms with the seemingly infallible Pogačar.

The Dane battled on to limit his losses and by the summit found company in the shape of Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro as the trio trailed the world champion by 20 seconds.

However, over the final 5.5km, Pogačar continued to extend the gap, while Del Toro played the teammate card, leaving Vingegaard and Seixas to chase together.

In the end, Pogačar powered to his 25th Tour stage win, while Vingegaard was distanced by the young duo of Del Toro and Seixas by six seconds in the final sprint, ending 44 seconds behind Pogačar. Including bonus seconds, the Dane lost another 54 seconds to his eternal rival on the day.

Despite the setback, Vingegaard remained upbeat about his performance.

"I got the answers that my legs are extremely good. I think I was riding really well. I'm happy with how I rode myself, and the team," Vingegaard told TV2 Sport.

The Dane explained why Visma opted for sustained pressure rather than a more explosive attack.

"We know after the Giro that I may not be the most explosive version of myself, so if I'm going to try to ride from someone, it will probably be more on the long, hard stretch."

"That's why we first tried to set a hard pace with Sepp Kuss, and then I took over, but I don't think the climb... It was a bit of a fun climb."

Kuss also explained Visma's approach, saying the team had extracted everything possible from the stage.

"We knew that Pogačar would probably attack near the top. We tried to ride at a good speed so that it wouldn't be so explosive when he rode. I don't know how it ended up going. It was a nice performance."

"We did super well. We couldn't have done more. It wasn't realistic to have anyone in the breakaway who could wait for the last five kilometres, which were flat. As I said... On such a steep final climb, it comes down to who has the legs, and we did everything we could," said Kuss.

The result leaves Pogačar with a 4:30 lead over Vingegaard in the GC. The second week rounds out with another crucial mountain stage, featuring a summit finish on the Plateau de Solaison.