«Sometimes I wake up and still wonder if I'm dreaming or if I really won the Tour de France. I go out and check the yellow jersey... and it's still there. I have it at home, it's a great feeling." Very thin, smiling, very simple: jonas vingegaard he wanders around in the Service course of Jumbo Visma as if he were just anyone. He stops to talk to his teammates, almost as if asking if he can join in the conversation, he picks up his materials, devotes himself to interviews, autographs yellow and polka-dotted jerseys.
By the way, and it's a bit funny, when lunchtime comes around, the sandwiches are gone. He can't find anything and grabs the couple of remaining dry biscuits from the buffet.
Lo post-Tour de France tsunami it seems behind and he appears serene and relaxed, with that fold of skin around his mouth that would like to make him look older, but can't.
Life as usual
As a Roglic e Van Aert, Vingegaard also gives us plenty of time to talk. And we start with life, post-Tour life. For him, the yellow jersey now marks a sort of boundary, before and after Christ.
«Obviously – says the Dane – Things around me are different, but my life hasn't changed much. I still do the same things: I ride my bike, I go shopping, I live in the same village with 1.500 people who are always the same… It's different because now more people recognize me, for example if I go to the airport.
"But at home, we're the ones who do it: we get up and have a leisurely breakfast. I ride my bike while my partner and daughter stay home... Every now and then, we take a sort of cargo bike our sponsor gave us to go around."
Tour and team
Vingegaard then goes on to tell of the TourOf those three incredible weeks. The pitfalls of the beginning. Pogacar's dominance. His turnaround.
«The most beautiful thing – Jonas says – is that we ran as a team. We have so many talents on the team… We had a final goal and we all stuck to the plan. Wout, for example, had the yellow jersey, but he gave up defending it to help me."The reference is to the day of the cobbled stage when Vingegaard fell behind and risked losing many, many minutes. It was Van Aert who saved him... and quite well." And Van Aert held on to his jersey for a handful of seconds.
«I think the hardest day was when we lost Steven (Kruijswijk, ed.) and primoz (Roglic, ed.) It was a very negative day, which had a certain impact. But then we had to keep fighting, so our plan was to accept the situation and try to do our best and move forward. But I can't think of any other difficult moments."
Jonas seemed truly disappointed about Roglic's retirement. They have an excellent relationship, and the Dane hopes, and is certain, that Primoz can return to top form next season.
Towards 2023
«I started training two weeks ago – continues Vingegaard – I had a longer vacation than usual. And when I returned from Japan (for the events organized by Aso, ed.) I immediately started training.
"What can I improve on? Definitely sprinting, for starters. But there are many areas I can still improve on. I don't just want to improve physically, I want to improve in everything. This year I've been sick a lot, I'd like to improve that too. In the materials..."
When you're at the top, pressure and pressure can make you falter. It's a question of character and nerves, but in this case, the Northerner seems to emerge. Jonas is rational and aware.
"I don't know if I'm hungrier to win than last year. I'm hungry in a different way. There's something special. I still want to do well and win races."
"With my history, it would have been easy to be nervous. I don't get nervous like I used to. I said to myself: “If I win, I win… otherwise it will be for next year. And I'll try again until I win." In this sense, I've improved since the beginning of 2021, including in managing expectations. I've never had a problem living up to other people's expectations, but I've always had a hard time living up to my own. I put a lot of pressure on myself. That was my problem."
But then there are the others too. pogacar He may have lost some of his confidence, but he's still Pogacar, and it didn't take him long to roll up his sleeves. Look how he won the Lombardia... But will he be even more aggressive? The Slovenian is said to want to work even harder for the climb.
«I think he will be more motivated. I don't know if he's more aggressive. He's already been aggressive enough this year!
Giro or Tour?
Jonas saw the paths of the Tour of Italy and the Tour. His destination is obvious and he also admits that with three time trials in Italy, the French race is more suited to his characteristics.
"But we haven't planned what to do next year yet. I'd like to return to the Tour."
While he discards the idea of a Giro-Tour double, despite his boyhood idol being Counter, the last one to really try.
«When I started cycling I really liked Contador. I liked the way he ran, the way he attacked. From him I took the inspiration not to be afraid to attack. To be aggressive, but in an intelligent way.
«It's difficult to say whether it's possible to do the double in a major Giro. I think if I had to start, I'd focus more on the Tour and the Vuelta. It's not easy, but the Giro and Tour are definitely tough. Maybe I could do them in the future. For next year, I don't know... maybe I could even do the Vuelta."
Fears
Vingegaard said he's also worked hard on himself, managing his nerves and pressure, and he's maturing quickly. But then there are doubts that even champions have to deal with, and Jonas is open about it.
«Of course there are things that scare me. For example, in training I try to go slower than in racing. I'm careful on the curves, I'm afraid of being hit by a car. I try to always be focused on the road.
And speaking of theBernal accident, he says: «I always look ahead. Obviously, these things can happen, but I'm always much more cautious during training».
And there was fear even in that last corner in the Rocamadour time trial, when he ended up off the asphalt and grazed the rock face which was right at the edge. He almost ruined everything with 2.000 meters to go.
«Oh yes – recalls Vingegaard – I was quite scared. But I didn't want to go slowly. And I think I'd do the same thing again. I took the wrong line, and since the road was rough, I made it even worse. If the road hadn't been rough, I would have been able to get through easily.
"What did they tell me from the flagship? I don't remember exactly, but they said, 'Nice save!'"
