NARBONNE (France) – The Côte du Midi is waking up to an unusually fresh wind. It rained overnight, and the sky is still covered with some clouds. From Montpellier, where the Tour de France observes the rest day and where yesterday evening, between a beer and an ice cream, the team vehicles were already crowding the square, we moved to Narbonne. It is here, in a splendid resort among the finest vineyards and rolling hills of Mediterranean scrub, that the Visma-Lease a Bike by Jonas Vingegaard.
The press conference starts early in the morning. It's outside. Vingegaard shows up with a steaming cup, a long tracksuit, and socks in his sandals. Not the ultimate in style, but certainly a comfortable and relaxed look, ideal for a day spent recharging your batteries.
A day spent relaxing for some, rollerblading or jogging for others, in the still very natural setting of southern France. A precious recovery before Mont Ventoux and the third week.
Jonas, do you think you could still win this Tour de France? And if so, how will you do it?
Yes, I still think I can win. Obviously, it looks and will be very difficult now. It's a huge challenge, but I still believe in it. My strength is usually in the third week. I won't tell you the tactics, but I still believe I can do it.
What could be your option?
Attack. I'm more than four minutes behind. We have to try to do something. But I can't say more in detail.
Do you feel like you can still grow, then?
Yes, I have that feeling. Unfortunately I had two difficult days, which almost never happen to me. I usually don't have bad days at all. But I can only look forward and believe. Of course, if you don't believe, nothing happens.
What do you expect from Mont Ventoux?
It's a slightly different day. It should be cold, it will be a strange day with only one big climb at the end. It's an iconic arrival, there will be a great battle.
Have you already noticed some weaknesses in Pogacar?
To be honest, no. Tadej pogacar he's very strong, so obviously I wouldn't say he's having any difficulties. I think he's one of the most complete riders in the peloton, if not the most complete. And even if I found one, I wouldn't say so. I think he, like me, made a real leap in quality two years ago. Only, in the last year, he's improved a little more. In the end, I lost most of my time in two days (the first time trial and Hautacam, ed.) and I think the difference between me and Pogacar is not that big. In fact, in my opinion it is lower than last year.
But how do you explain this difference?
I can say with certainty that last year's accident had a huge impact on me and my condition. I wasn't two steps behind, but ten steps behind. The problem I had this year at Paris-Nice isn't even remotely comparable: after a week, albeit slowly, I started training again. Since 2020, after the pandemic, the group has raised its level by an average of 10 percent. And in this context, it became clear that consistency, training for a long time without any setbacks, is essential. Our training plans were also based on this stability. But this year I'm growing.
So you're not giving up?
No, The Tour ends in Paris. Obviously, four minutes is a long time, but I still think I can make a difference. I'm willing to risk even my second place just to try. Tadej is strong and I expected him to be at this level, but I don't think he's much better than last year.
Clear…
As I said, I lost a lot of ground in two days, two days in which I wasn't up to par. And when you know you can go faster, you don't lose confidence in yourself.
Do you think you made any mistakes during this Tour de France?
I've had two rough days, and when that happens, you obviously waste time. But anyone can have a bad day. We are still looking for the reason why, but we don't have an answer yet: if anything, this is the problem. Given how things went, I might have trouble with my walk today too… so to speak.
In general, Jonas, you seem more relaxed, you joke more… Are you trying to reconstruct a different image of yourself?
No, I don't care. People can think what they want about me. I don't care about the image, but it's true that in some ways... I'm having more fun than before and I'm more relaxed about running.
