A day after his coup on the Col du Granon, Jonas Vingegaard convincingly defended his yellow jersey in the Tour de France. Tadej Pogacar placed two attacks on Alpe d’Huez on Thursday, but his Danish competitor did not flinch.
After his second attack on the iconic final climb of the twelfth stage was also neutralized by Vingegaard, Pogacar briefly contacted his rival. “We didn’t say anything to each other,” Vingegaard said at his press conference after the ride. “He smiled at me and I smiled back. That was it.”
The friendly look just before the finish of the queen stage of the Tour de France proved once again that the number one and two in the general classification have a lot of appreciation for each other, although they do everything they can to beat each other during the race.
“I think it comes down to respect,” Vingegaard said. “I think Tadej respects me and I’m sure I have a lot of respect for Tadej. He can do anything and is already one of the best riders of all time.”
The Jumbo-Visma leader therefore continues to emphasize that the Tour is far from being decided, despite his reassuring lead of 2.22 minutes over Pogacar. “I expected Tadej to attack today and his two attacks were very strong. I’m very happy to be able to follow him. I didn’t lose any time, so it was a good day.”
Tadej Pogacar couldn’t get Jonas Vingegaard out of his wheel on Alpe d’Huez.
Tadej Pogacar couldn’t get Jonas Vingegaard out of his wheel on Alpe d’Huez. Photo: AFP
Jumbo-Visma checked tough Alpine stage
It was a good day for the entire Jumbo-Visma team, who fully controlled the very difficult Alpine stage. At the foot of Alpe d’Huez, Vingegaard had four teammates with him: Wout van Aert, Steven Kruijswijk, Primoz Roglic and Sepp Kuss.
“I am fortunate to be supported by the best team in this Tour,” said Vingegaard. “We proved that yesterday and again today. The confidence in my team is very high, but I also know that it will eventually turn into a hand-to-hand fight with Tadej. And on the day that fight comes, I have to be strong enough to win the Tour.”
The runner-up in last season’s Tour de France is confident enough to believe he can beat Pogacar in a one-on-one duel. “I have grown a lot mentally over the past year, which gives me much more confidence. The fact that I can wear this fantastic jersey only helps with that.”
Vingegaard thoroughly enjoyed his first day in the yellow jersey on Thursday. “It was a bizarre experience on Alpe d’Huez. This is what all cyclists dream of: riding up an iconic climb in front of so many fans. I saw a lot of Danes, that made it very special.”
All the latest news and backgrounds can be found in our Tour de France file