During an interview with the Danish media Ekstrabladet, Jonas Vingegaard let himself go for a rare time in a strong confidence about the admiration he has for Tadej Pogacar. A brief moment that he will close just as quickly to stay in the mental situation of being able to beat him. Analysis.
Even though it was largely dominated by Tadej Pogacar on the occasion of the last Tour de France, Jonas Vingegaard firmly defended its level of performance in 2024 and affirmed its confidence in its ability to close the gap on the Slovenian champion in 2025.
For a rare time, Vingegaard cracks the armor on Pogacar
During an interview with Danish media The extra sheetrelayed by cyclismactu.net, Vingegaard thus stated: “ This is the best year I've ever had. When I look at my performance compared to what I have been able to do in the past, it was much better on the Plateau de Beille. I remember that the first year I won the Tour (2022, editor's note), it was almost nothing compared to the power we developed this year. I could see what watts I was doing and Pogacar was getting away from me, so his victory is deserved. To beat Pogacar, I need to move up a level next year, and I think I can do it ».
To put himself in a position to beat him, Vingegaard must focus on himself
However, during this same interview, Jonas Vingegaard still cracked the armor a little and allowed himself to recognize to what extent Tadej Pogacar could sometimes impress him on a bike: “ I see him winning these races and I'm fascinated by who he is as a cyclist. I think he's a fantastic cyclist, but clearly in everyday life I focus on myself. I have to be as good as possible in the races I have to do. I have to hope this is enough to beat him “. It is rare to see the Dane indulge in such confidence about his rival and he explains why in the following sentence: to put himself in a position to beat him, he must concentrate on himself and his level of performance, without worrying about the Slovenian champion and his qualities.
