Tour de France - Rad-Star Vingegaard hoped for a 'bad day' with Pogacar
Jonas Vingegaard is exchanging countermeasures with Tadej Pogacar in the 111th Tour de France. After two clear defeats in the Pyrenees over the weekend, the Danish title defender is hoping for a performance dip from his rival.
"We have seen in the last two years that he sometimes has a bad day. We have to hope that he has a bad day. If he stays at this level, then it will be tough", said the two-time Tour winner after his stage defeat on Plateau de Beille.
On the Queen stage, Pogacar overtook his rival for the second time in a row - and on Sunday, he crossed the finish line with a lead of more than a minute. In the general classification, he leads by 3:09 minutes over Vingegaard.
The current second-placed rider still has two challenging Alpine stages and the final individual time trial in Nice to prevent Pogacar from his third overall victory at the French Grand Tour.
Vingegaard: One of the best performances of my life
Last year, the weakened Pogacar collapsed in the third week of the Tour. However, this year he doesn't seem to be making the same mistake again. Despite being severely injured in a fall in the spring, Vingegaard was satisfied with his performance. "On the last climb, I was really strong. I probably delivered one of the best performances of my life. But Tadej was just stronger", grumbled the 27-year-old.
His sports director Grischa Niermann shared the assessment. "Tadej Pogacar seems invincible at the moment, but the final week is still ahead of us. We're not giving up yet, but we're taking a break". The Tour takes a rest day on Monday, and Vingegaard has time to catch his breath.
Tadej Pogacar, currently leading the Tour de France, has shown his dominance in cycling, overtaking Jonas Vingegaard twice in the Pyrenees and the Alps. The international competition is tough, but Vingegaard is determined to counteract Pogacar's advantage in the remaining stages, including two challenging Alpine stages and the final individual time trial in Nice. Despite his injuries, Vingegaard delivered one of his best performances yet, showing his resilience, but Pogacar's form in France has been impressive, giving little room for a counter-stroke. The Tour de France weekend saw a significant shift in the general classification, with Pogacar leading by more than three minutes.
