Jonas Vingegaard slams Pogacar booing: 'Those fans should stay at home'
Jonas Vingegaard has strongly condemned the spectators who booed Tadej Pogačar during the Tour de France, insisting that hostility towards a rival has no place at a sporting event.
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Tadej Pogačar may be tightening his grip on the Tour de France, but not everybody on the roadside appears to be enjoying his dominance.
Pogačar heard scattered boos during the Bastille Day stage to Le Lioran, where he produced another devastating attack to take his third victory of this year’s Tour. The Slovenian also extended his overall lead over Vingegaard to 3:36.
His main rival Jonas Vingegaard heard the jeers too. The Dane made clear that he had little sympathy for those responsible.
“I heard it as well, and I don’t think it should be acceptable in sport,” Vingegaard told WielerFlits. “It can be that people don't support him, but don't boo at him. Why come to a sporting event just to boo somebody?”
The Visma | Lease a Bike rider believes spectators should use their energy to support the riders they admire rather than target those they want to see beaten.
“Cheer for people and enjoy the race,” he added. “Otherwise, stay at home.”
Pogacar turns hostility into motivation
Pogačar raised the subject himself after crossing the finish line at Le Lioran. He thanked the crowds for creating an impressive atmosphere, but also made it clear that he had noticed the negative reaction.
“To all the guys that were booing, they give us more power,” Pogačar said.
The yellow jersey returned to the issue during his press conference, admitting that his continued success had inevitably created a group of spectators who wanted to see him fail.
“For sure, I have haters now, and haters gonna hate,” Pogačar said.
He also compared his experience to that of Novak Djokovic, who has regularly competed in front of crowds supporting his opponent.
“I always think about tennis and Novak Djokovic and how great a mentality he has,” Pogačar said. “When someone is booing, I look up to Novak Djokovic and think about him.”
Like the Serbian tennis champion, Pogačar appears willing to use hostility as an additional source of motivation. He suggested the boos had not only fuelled him personally, but had also given fresh energy to his UAE teammates.
“They put the wood on the fire,” he said.
Vingegaard is not intimidated
Pogačar’s reaction prompted suggestions that the boos could make an already dominant rider even more aggressive during the remainder of the Tour.
Vingegaard, however, insisted that he was not concerned by his rival’s promise to race harder.
“No, I’m also here to race,” the Dane said. “I will go for the stages that suit me the most.”
Although he remains Pogačar’s closest challenger in the general classification, Vingegaard showed sympathy for the pressure that comes with wearing the yellow jersey.
“He is the most looked at person in this race,” Vingegaard said. “I tried it as well, especially in 2023, and it’s not really nice.”
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