‘What the hell are they thinking?’ - Bjarne Riis criticises Visma's tactics
Even Tadej Pogačar seemed mystified about the Dutch team’s after Vingegaard was caught behind a crash while his team mates continued to attack at the front of Sunday’s stage 15.
Jonas Vingegaard might feel optimistic about his chances of winning a third yellow jersey in Paris next Sunday, but Denmark’s only other Tour winner, Bjarne Riis, has criticised Visma | Lease a BIke’s tactics, suggesting a lack of support for his compatriot.
“Jonas is not getting the support he needs,” Riis wrote in his column for Danish newspaper, BT. “It's obvious, and it's problematic. Right now, he's riding on the wrong team, but he also has to ride on a crew that is strong enough to back him up.”
Riis was referring to Visma | Lease a Bike’s tactics during Sunday’s stage to Carcassonne, where three of the team were attacking at the front of the race, while Vingegaard was trying to regain contact with the race after being caught behind a crash in the opening kilometres.
The crash occurred when a number of riders collided with some road furniture, blocking the road and leaving the Dutch squad’s leader stranded at the back of the race. While Vingegaard was trying to get back on, at the front, Wout van Aert, Victor Campenaerts and Matteo Jorgenson were attacking, attempting to fulfil the team’s ambition of being in the breakaway.
Even race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) became involved. The yellow jersey had avoided the crash and could be seen trying to stop riders heading up the road until Vingegaard was back in the leading group.
"There was a moment when Vingegaard tried to come back after the crash, while three Visma riders were up front,” Pogačar told Slovenian media after Sunday’s stage. “Tim [Wellens] and I tried to calm things down so everyone could get back.
"I didn't know what to think. I blocked Matteo [Jorgenson] so the three of them couldn't continue. Maybe I helped Jonas by doing that, because it was a pretty strange situation. If I were in Jonas's position, I wouldn't be the happiest at the dinner table tonight. Because I think he can still win the Tour."
If Pogačar seemed mystified, Riis verged on the apoplectic. “The team is cutting him in half, and I really think it's rude. What the hell are they thinking?” he wrote. “Early in the stage, Jonas Vingegaard had to struggle to close a gap that his teammates themselves helped to create.
“It’s a bit too easy to say that Vingegaard will change teams, because we won't see that. We're talking about Jonas, who is not just any rider. He wants a safe environment and has a long contract. That would mean that he will have to meet new people, a new team and a new setup, and I don't necessarily think he wants that.
“I believe more that he will bite the bullet with the things that are in him now. Otherwise, he will have to bang the table and say: 'Hey, the party stops now.’
“As a Dane, I just think: 'Hmm, you have to do something about that, Jonas.' How fast does he have to ride before Visma believes in him?”
Riis went on to explain how the team’s loyalty to Wout van Aert and the Belgian’s desire for a stage win was part of the issue.
“I understand that they have another superstar in Wout van Aert on the team, but I don't care. He's obviously more interested in riding his own Tour than helping Vingegaard. Show the man some respect. He has fought for what he does, and show respect for the class rider he is.
“The problem is that the management has promised Van Aert that he can do as he sees fit. It cannot avoid becoming a problem and a conflict from time to time. Although I actually think that the riders get along well. The strategic management just doesn't fit.
“It ended up with a situation on Sunday's stage, where Jonas seemed abandoned by his team, who were more interested in the stage win.”
Van Aert addressed the situation in a post stage interview on Sunday.
“When Jonas was behind it was hard to play the right tactics. We wanted to be in the break, but we also somehow wanted it to slow down so he could come back in the bunch, so that was a bit tricky but I think we managed it well.”
Meanwhile, team boss Grischa Niermann said: “If we know he’s not coming back, then we call everybody back,” the German explained. “But in that situation, we thought the best that can happen is that the front group goes away fast and then the rest of the group with Tadej [Pogačar] will slow down.”
While stage 15 started badly for Visma | Lease a Bike, it ended reasonably well, with Campenaerts finishing second and Van Aert third. Vingegaard returned to the peloton and remains 4.13 behind Pogačar on GC ahead of Tuesday's 16th stage to Mont Ventoux.
Riis has been around the sport for many years. He rode as a professional between 1986 and 2000, winning the 1996 Tour de France, though he later admitted to doping to achieve that victory. He has also been involved in team management, running the CSC team, which morphed into Tinkoff-Saxo. He was later involved in the Virtu Cycling project, which had both men’s and women’s squads.
