Pogacar reaches out to Vingegaard after Tour crash as rivalry softens

The Visma | Lease a Bike rider fractured his collarbone in a crash at a roundabout during stage 15. He was second overall at the time, 4:30 behind Pogačar, and was forced to abandon the race.

Speaking to Feltet in Glyngøre during the Tour of Denmark, Vingegaard confirmed that Pogačar had contacted him following the incident.

“He sent me a message, which I was really pleased about,” Vingegaard said. “I am just happy that he was thinking about me. I also think it is nice how our rivalry has developed.”

Pogačar had already publicly expressed his sympathy for Vingegaard directly after the finish of stage 15.

“It’s really sad to see that Jonas is out,” he said. “The Tour will not be the same without him.”

“We are competitors and also kind of friends,” he said. “I hope he can recover well. I wish him all the best.”

The pair first raced the Tour together in 2021. In every edition they both completed between then and 2025, they finished first and second overall.

Pogačar won in 2021, 2024 and 2025, while Vingegaard claimed back to back victories in 2022 and 2023. Vingegaard’s withdrawal after his stage 15 crash brought that remarkable sequence to an end.

Their relationship was less familiar during the early years of that run, according to Vingegaard.

“At the beginning, it was perhaps a little more, not hostile, but not as friendly in some way,” he said. “It has become much friendlier over the past couple of years. Sometimes we have a good conversation. I enjoy that.”

Whether the two will meet for a seventh Tour battle remains uncertain, but Vingegaard has no intention of walking away from the race.

The Dane said he still believes he can win the Tour de France again and suggested another appearance is likely.

“I still believe I can win the Tour,” Vingegaard said. “I would be very surprised if I did not come back.”

Any return to racing will depend on his recovery. Vingegaard has yet to resume training and has not decided whether he will compete again this season.

He said his experience of recovering from his crash at the Tour of the Basque Country two years ago had taught him not to rush the process.

“I learned something from that as well,” he said. “I do not want to force it. It takes a lot to come back.”