'Team did amazing' - Vingegaard praises Visma's strategy on Mont Ventoux
Whilst Tadej Pogacar extended his lead by a further two seconds on Jonas Vingegaard on Mont Ventoux, it was a strong performance from the Dane and his Dutch team, who lit the race up with a series of attacks.
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) vowed to continue his attacks on race leader Tadej Pogačar after the Dane tried to distance the yellow jersey on several occasions on the slopes of Mont Ventoux. The flurry of attacks made by Vingegaard ultimately proved unsuccessful despite his best efforts, with the world champion unwavering as he responded to the moves. Nonetheless, it was another strong performance from the man who sits second in the general classification and his team.
"I was feeling very good today, happy with the feeling today and the attacks I tried to do and yeah, of course, I didn’t gain any time today, but I took a lot of motivation today," said Vingegaard who remained positive after Visma | Lease a Bike's coordinated team plan failed to crack the race leader.
Visma | Lease a Bike successfully executed a clear game plan, by placing riders in the breakaway to support Vingegaard's later attacks on the slopes of Ventoux. Whilst the execution went very smoothly, Pogačar remained indisputable on the wheel of the Dane and so it wasn't the outcome they would have hoped for but Vingegaard was full of praise for his team for their dedication despite this.
“Yeah, we wanted to have somebody in the break. The team did amazing today, everybody worked with everything they have, it was real commitment from everyone, and everyone was going super great. Thank you to all my teammates," Vingegaard said, acknowledging the steadfast support from his teammates.
When asked if he saw any weaknesses in Pogačar when he attacked, Vingegaard explained, “I mean, he followed me every time I attacked, I followed him when he attacked, so I don’t know if I could see any weaknesses today, no."
"But at least it gives me some motivation, how good I felt today, and as I said earlier, I will keep trying," he added.
Tiesj Benoot, one of two satellite riders placed in the breakaway for Vingegaard alongside Victor Campenaerts, explained the team's strategy.
“We wanted to put pressure on Pogacar, of course, it was good that we had two guys in the break, so I could wait until Simon [Yates] and Sepp [Kuss] were done, did my turn, Jonas went again, and then Victor [Campenaerts] was straight there," Benoot explained to reporters after the finish.
“We did our best today with the headwind after Chalet Reynard, we knew it was a big advantage to have a teammate and we succeeded in the plan. Two more Alpine stages to go," he added.
Vingegaard and his team will turn their attention to the two Alpine stages that Benoot referred to, on Thursday and Friday, with two major summit finishes on Col de la Loze and La Plagne, where, based on today's efforts, we can expect to see more attacks.
Benoot also exclaimed his disbelief at the strength of his teammate Vingegaard and the Dane's overall combative performance on the day, despite the lack of time gains.
"I didn’t talk to Jonas yet, but he looked really good. I was impressed that after my turn, he could still accelerate, but it’s crazy how fast they go. We gave the people at home a battle again today, a nice race to watch," Benoot concluded.
Vingegaard's stage ended with an unexpected incident when he was knocked off his bike by a photographer shortly after crossing the finish line.
