'Pogacar and Evenepoel the big favourites' – Vingegaard to test himself at European Championships
Jonas Vingegaard has built his career on the rhythm of stage racing: the accumulation of days, the battles in the high mountains, the long road to Madrid or Paris. One-day racing has rarely been his terrain. The European Championships in France will change that.
His palmarès is almost bare of single-day events, the last being San Sebastián in 2024, where he abandoned. Speaking in Skive after his Vuelta victory, he admitted in quotes collected by Feltet.dk: “I have always found it difficult to ride one-day races. So this is a new test to see if I can do it.”
The hilly course in Ardèche will demand as much craft as condition, and Vingegaard is under no illusion about his status. Asked about the favourites, he was clear. “Based on the start list as it stands, it has to be Pogacar and Remco,” he said. “They must be the biggest favourites.”
Still, he has no intention of travelling simply to fill the start list. “It is probably not the big goal of my 2025 season,” he said. “But I am not going there just to be dropped as the first rider.”
Lacking experience himself, Vingegaard will rely on the guidance of his compatriots. “I will lean on Mads Pedersen and Mattias Skjelmose,” he explained. “They are really good at one-day races, so I will learn a lot from them. In that sense, there is plenty of experience on the Danish national team.”
What remains uncertain is his own condition after two Grand Tours. “I actually find it difficult to set expectations,” he confessed. “I have ridden two Grand Tours, and I don’t quite know where I will stand. I am in good shape now and trying to ride that wave, but you never know whether that is good or bad.”
For national coach Michael Mørkøv, the ambition is clear: to contend for the title. He pointed to Vingegaard’s pedigree as a two-time Tour winner and fresh Vuelta champion as proof. The rider himself was more circumspect. “I will of course do everything I can to deliver a top result,” he said.
“The more one-day races you ride, the more experienced you become,” he added. “I have to start somewhere, and now I am starting with the European Championships.”
The European Championships will take place in Drôme-Ardèche from 1 to 5 October, with the men’s elite road race scheduled for the final day.
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