Jonas Vingegaard: 'I have to be better than ever' to win the Tour de France

In an interview with RTVE, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) outlined that he is going to need to reach new heights in order to dethrone Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at the upcoming Tour de France.

"I think he'll be better than ever in the Tour de France. So, obviously, I have to be better than ever, too," Vingegaard said.

"I know that if I want to win the Tour de France, I have to beat Tadej, and I know he's probably one of the best in history. To be able to do that, you have to train every day. Of course, when I go out every day, I focus more on myself, I focus on how to get myself to the best possible level, but also, in general, if I want to win the Tour de France, I have to beat him too."

In terms of his current shape, Vingegaard is feeling confident in himself, despite finishing second behind Pogačar at the Critérium du Dauphiné, with the Slovenian looking a cut above. He also explained the implications of his crash at Paris-Nice and the extent to which this impacted his preparations for his more important goals.

"I think, in general, my engine is growing, so to speak. I feel like I'm improving in all aspects. We're focusing on improving both my sprinting, my threshold and peak power. So, as I said before, I feel like I'm improving in all aspects," Vingegaard said.

“No, I’m feeling good now. I got a concussion in Paris-Nice, it took me about a week to get over it, so it’s already two months ago that I crashed. I’ve been training now for a month and a half, something like that so I feel like I’m taking another step and the shape is getting better."

Looking ahead towards the key stages in the Tour, Vingegaard has highlighted the importance of the individual time trials as an opportunity to establish a strong foothold in the general classification battle. Vingegaard looked very impressive in the time trial at the Dauphiné, where he gained time on Pogačar.

"To be honest, I prefer the second time trial, the climbing time trial, even though that can be difficult too. The first time trial of 33 kilometres is fundamental and has forced me to train on the time trial bike. The time trial can make a big difference in the general classification."

Beyond the individual time trials, Vingegaard has marked several stages as being crucial in the fight for yellow, and maintained the need to stay focused and be at his best for the whole three weeks if he is to be victorious.

"This year, there are many important stages and several very hard ones, both in the Pyrenees and in the Alps, as well as a demanding stage in the Massif Central. In the first week there could be crosswinds and uphill finishes. I think there won't be many opportunities to relax," Vingegaard said. 

"You can't pick one stage as the most decisive, neither the Col de la Loze nor La Plagne, because they will all be equally important."

Speaking about the addition of the Montmartre circuit on the final stage in Paris, Vingegaard didn't appear to be the biggest fan of its inclusion.

"It could be a very dangerous stage. In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about safety in cycling, and adding Montmartre as a finish can increase the risk. We saw at the Olympics how complicated it was, with people on both sides of the street," Vingegaard said.

"Last year, only 15 riders reached Montmartre together in the Olympic race, but this year there will be more than 100 riders, probably 115 or more, and after 21 days of racing they will be very tired. I think this will make the stage even more dangerous".