Vingegaard finds new mental strength

He won’t race until June, and won’t meet Tadej Pogačar again until the Tour, but Jumbo-Visma say the Dane is already exceeding his peak

- Chris Marshall-Bell

Jumbo-Visma have seen encouraging signs that Jonas Vingegaard is stronger than ever, with his defence of the Tour de France just over two months away.

The Danish rider responded to Tadej Pogačar’s beating of him at March’s ParisNice by dominating the recent Itzulia Basque Country, where he won three stages and the GC courtesy of uphill sprints, fast descending and long-range solo attacks.

Much has previously been made about the 26-year-old’s quiet persona and his aversion to public attention, but since winning yellow last July, his team has noticed a shift in his personality.

“I think when he won the Tour, something fell off his shoulder,” the team’s DS Frans Maassen told Cycling Weekly. “In the past he sometimes had problems with nerves and staying stable, but now he knows he is one of the best riders in the world, his level is so high that it’s easier for him to race, and because of that his head is stronger because he knows he is the best climber.

“It was really important for him that he won the Tour. He is more comfortable now and he enjoys racing. He knows he has special gifts in cycling.”

Including the team time trial victory at Paris-Nice, Vingegaard has won nine races in just 17 race days; before last year’s Tour he had only won seven races since he turned professional in 2019.