Jonas Vingegaard (Visma I Lease a bike), decryption of a program: “Made to beat Tadej Pogacar (UAE) on the Tour”

No real surprises but attention to detail. This is how we could summarize Jonas Vingegaard's program for the 2025 season. The objective was obvious, it was simply confirmed this Tuesday during the presentation of the Visma I Lease a bike. The Danish rider will primarily aim for a third title in the Tour de France, after those acquired in 2022 and 2023. His calendar has been clearly established in relation to this ambition. As always? Yes. But with some not-so-innocuous nuances.

That he decided to participate in the Vuelta rather than the Giro did not surprise many people. Vingegaard logically chose to spare himself a big tour in May to be sure to be at the top in July. “It's better in this sense, to do Tour-Vuelta, confirms David Moncoutié, three times winner of the Vuelta climbers' classification and consultant on Eurosport. It really allows you to prepare for the Tour in the best possible way, by doing training in May, avoiding the risk of physical and mental fatigue after a big tour, with one or two months to do the training you want.”

Discovering the Giro did not have sufficient weight in the balance compared to the desire to be 100% on the Tour. If we need to see new developments in his program, they are mainly at the start of the season. With Paris-Nice, which he had only played once (2023), rather than Tirreno-Adriatico. And the Tour of Catalonia, in which he had never participated, rather than the Tour of the Basque Country, where he suffered this serious fall last season. Small modifications. But not really a revolution.

“He does indeed want to change a little bit, but afterward it’s the same orientation towards stage racesexplains David Moncoutié. If he had done Ardennes classics or a Giro-Tour sequence, we could have said that it was a complete change of preparation but here his program is really made to be at the top on Tour and beat Pogacar. He puts all the means on his side in terms of preparation. From April, the focus will be on the Tour de France.“

The Critérium du Dauphiné will serve as a dress rehearsal for its resumption in June, after two months without competition and probably intended for intensive training to prepare for the Tour de France. A full-scale rehearsal since Vingegaard must normally cross paths with Pogacar for the first time in this event, also included in the Slovenian's program. An aperitif before the July feast.

But there could also be a dessert in Spain. The prospect of seeing Vingo and Pogi battling it out on two grand tours for the first time in a season exists, but the outgoing winner of the Tour has not yet made his choice between the Giro and the Vuelta. “Whether Vingegaard does the Vuelta, I don't think that influences Pogacar's choiceassures David Moncoutié. He gained so much confidence last year… He fell twice against Vingegaard on the Tour in the past, but he still took a step forward in 2024. For me he remains in the view of putting all the biggest races on the calendar under his belt, so rather the Vuelta.”

The organizers of the Tour of Italy have made sure to convince the title holder to return this year, including a passage through Slovenia on the route in 2025. But the prospect of a duel between Vingegaard and Pogacar a month after the Tour still has another flavor. “There are often riders who have planned to go to the Vuelta and who do not go, and the oppositewarns David Moncoutié. It's the end of the season, a lot can happen on the Giro, on the Tour. There are parameters that can change the situation. But it sure would spice things up. It can be a revenge of the Tour, even if the Vuelta does not have the pedigree of the Tour.”

And it would not necessarily be the last meeting between the two men. Vingegaard has not ruled out participating in the Worlds, with a very demanding route for the road race around Kigali which may suit him. “He’s not a one-day runnerrecalls David Moncoutié. For a world champion title, you really need a course adapted to your qualities, and therefore very difficult. So if he finishes the Vuelta and he's doing pretty well, maybe it's an opportunity to set himself another challenge.“That of stealing the rainbow jersey from Pogacar has something to seduce him. But it is to take back the yellow tunic from him that his calendar was made like this.