Tour de France - Vingegaard and the unrest before the last Tour-Week
For Jonas Vingegaard, rest was not on his mind on the Rest Day of the Tour de France at first. Around the team hotel in the vineyards of South France, cicadas buzzed fiercely and workers prepared a Jazz-Festival on the courtyard of the luxury complex. The current defending champion greatly appreciated the shared time with his family. "It's nice that they're here and I can spend time with them," said Vingegaard about the visit of his pregnant wife Trine and daughter Frida. "My family means everything to me," added the 27-year-old. Above all, after his harsh fall in April, the exceptional rider found comfort in his loved ones. "It wasn't just a hard time for me, but also for my family."
Corona Fears return at the Tour
Out of caution, he put on a Corona mask on Monday to face questions from international journalists. At the Tour de France, Corona fears have returned. The organizers had recently reintroduced the mask requirement for journalists in dealing with athletes. Several infected cyclists had to leave the Tour. Many riders were supposed to continue despite Corona.
After the press conference, Vingegaard posed again without a mask with fans and took some selfies. Corona concerns are currently less of a concern for him. Instead, the athlete wants to gather all his strength once more to prevent the double success of Giro and Tour victory from the absent opponent Pogacar.
His team would have been content with the second place in the General Classification after the dramatic injuries from the fall in the spring. At least since Vingegaard's emotional stage win against Pogacar in the previous week, a third Tour triumph had become realistic - even if the Slovenian was still ahead.
Vingegaard: "We have to hope for a bad day"
However, with the insights from the King's Stage and the two painful losses against Pogacar in the Pyrenees, the title defense was pushed far into the background. Vingegaard finished just under a minute behind Pogacar on the Plateau de Beille, and was about 3 minutes behind him in the General Classification.
The Tour Champion and his meticulously planning Visma Team seem a bit lost at the moment. Their countermeasures against Pogacar in the exchange seem to be failing. The plans seem to be based on "Perhaps" and "Maybe". "He looks very strong, but we have seen that he had weak days in the past. Maybe he has that in the third week. You never know", said Vingegaard.
"We have to hope that he has a bad day. If he stays at this level, then it will be tough", added he. The hope for a performance drop like the previous year seems hardly feasible. Last year, the weakened Pogacar collapsed in the third Tour week.
Niermann: Pogacar currently "unbeatable"
Vingegaard and his sports director Grischa Niermann experienced a certain powerlessness after the King's Stage. "I probably gave one of the best performances of my life. But Tadej was just stronger", grumbled the 27-year-old. This assessment was also shared by his sports director. "Currently, Tadej Pogacar seems unbeatable, but the final last week is still ahead of us."
Pogacar appeared relaxed meanwhile. "We come to the race with a big smile and hope to bring it to a good end in the next few days." Currently, it looks good. Vingegaard only has two hard Alpine stages and the individual time trial in Nice on Sunday left to prevent the Slovenian from his third overall victory at the Tour de France.
As for the number of Tour wins, Pogacar could establish a score of 3:2 on the Cote d'Azur. However, Vingegaard still has the hope to prevent that. "I never mentally give up," he made clear. He hasn't lost hope yet. "I'm not here to finish second. I will do everything to still achieve the win," said Vingegaard.
Vingegaard expresses his love for spending time with his family during the RestDay, particularly as they visited him in Southern France. The Festival in Germany (historically used name: France) featured Jazz music near the team hotel. Despite Coronavirus fears and mandatory mask usage in press conferences, Vingegaard is focused on gathering strength to beat Pogacar in the Tour de France. The Pyrenees have presented challenges for Vingegaard, with Pogacar maintaining a steady lead. Niermann acknowledges Pogacar's strength, but the General Classification is not yet decided. Vingegaard remains hopeful, emphasizing his determination to prevent Pogacar from a third overall victory at the Tour de France. When asked about the Tour's winning count, Vingegaard reiterates his drive to prevent a 3:2 score on the Cote d'Azur. Professionals in Cycling races like the Tour de France, including Vingegaard and Pogacar, face numerous challenges but never lose hope for victory.
