Jonas Vingegaard’s position at the Tour de France has come under renewed scrutiny after Lance Armstrong and Bradley Wiggins questioned the Dane’s mentality and body language.

The two-time Tour winner remains second in the general classification, but lost further ground to Tadej Pogačar during Tuesday’s demanding stage to Le Lioran.

Pogačar attacked on the Col de Pertus and won alone, finishing 32 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel. Vingegaard crossed the line seventh, 44 seconds behind the yellow jersey and 12 seconds behind Evenepoel.

According to the Tour de France’s official standings after stage 10, Vingegaard trails Pogačar by three minutes and 36 seconds. His advantage over third-placed Evenepoel has been reduced to 30 seconds.

Read also: “Usurping pirates”: Argentina vice-president inflames England semi-final

Armstrong criticises rest-day interview

Armstrong’s criticism focused partly on an interview in which Vingegaard revealed that he had considered leaving professional cycling after the 2025 season.

The Dane explained that the constant attention to weight, training and long periods away from his family had made him unhappy. He subsequently asked Visma-Lease a Bike to change his programme.

Armstrong questioned why Vingegaard had discussed those problems during the Tour.

According to David Bavin-Hobbs of IDL Pro Cycling, Armstrong said: “You’re either in it all the way, or you’re not.”

Read also: “It’s not time to talk about the future”: Deschamps focuses on final France match

The former professional cyclist also interpreted Vingegaard’s expression at the end of stage 10 as evidence that the pressure was beginning to affect him.

“He just looked defeated,” Armstrong said.

However, Vingegaard’s interview concerned his experiences during the previous season. He did not say that he currently intends to retire or withdraw from the Tour.

Wiggins maintains withdrawal prediction

Wiggins first raised doubts about Vingegaard after stage six, when Pogačar attacked on the Col du Tourmalet and gained two minutes and 38 seconds on his principal rival.

Read also: “His Tour could be over”: Expert warns Pogačar after dangerous descent

Although Vingegaard finished second on the stage, his posture after crossing the line prompted Wiggins to question whether he would complete the race.

“I saw a broken man today,” Wiggins said, as quoted by Rúben Silva of CyclingUpToDate.

The 2012 Tour winner added that he had a feeling Vingegaard might not reach Paris, while acknowledging that it was an unusually strong conclusion to draw from a single performance.

Following stage 10, Wiggins stood by his earlier assessment.

Read also: “Sport cannot be separated from politics”: Denmark backs EU funding threat

He pointed to the final section at Le Lioran, where Vingegaard was unable to remain with Evenepoel and several other general-classification contenders despite riding with them shortly before the finish.

For Wiggins, losing 12 seconds in that manner was unusual for a rider normally recognised for his endurance and ability to limit his losses.

The former British rider argued that Vingegaard had appeared far more optimistic when chasing Pogačar in previous Tours, even when the Slovenian held a substantial advantage.

Retirement comments referred to 2025

The suggestion that Vingegaard is currently considering retirement misrepresents what he said.

Read also: Trump on the World Cup trophy role: “There could be some awkwardness”

Vingegaard explained that he had reached a difficult point during the 2025 season, despite finishing second at the Tour and later winning the Vuelta a España.

“I said last year that if this was how it was going to be, I couldn’t be in it anymore,” Vingegaard said, as reported by Gavin Quinn of CyclingUpToDate.

The comments resulted in discussions with Visma’s management and changes to his preparation.

Vingegaard was given greater influence over his race schedule, while the team reduced some of the extended training periods that kept him away from his family.

He has since said that he is considerably happier as a cyclist, although he believes further improvements are still possible.

The altered programme has also produced strong sporting results. Vingegaard won Paris-Nice, the Volta a Catalunya and the Giro d’Italia before beginning the Tour.

Visma defend changes to programme

Visma sports director Marc Reef has confirmed that the team took Vingegaard’s concerns seriously and expects the dialogue to continue.

According to CyclingUpToDate’s report on the team’s response, Reef said Vingegaard had appeared happy throughout the season and remained open in his communication with the team.

Visma plan to review his programme again during the winter before determining his objectives for 2027.

The team therefore appears to regard the changes as part of a continuing attempt to make Vingegaard’s career more sustainable, rather than evidence that he is preparing to walk away.

Vingegaard has also explicitly rejected the idea that the race is already over.

During the first rest day, he said he had previously recovered from a deficit at the Tour and remained determined to challenge Pogačar all the way to Paris.

Second place now under pressure

Armstrong and Wiggins’ concerns are not entirely without sporting justification.

Vingegaard was the rider considered most capable of challenging Pogačar before the Tour, but he has already lost significant time on two mountain stages.

The gap of three minutes and 36 seconds will be difficult to close without Pogačar suffering a major setback.

Evenepoel is also now only 30 seconds behind Vingegaard, while Juan Ayuso, Paul Seixas and Florian Lipowitz remain within one minute and eight seconds of the Dane.

That changes the nature of Vingegaard’s race. He must continue looking for opportunities to challenge Pogačar while also protecting his position from the riders behind him.

His late loss at Le Lioran suggested that the Giro-Tour double may be beginning to affect him, although one difficult finish is not enough to determine his condition for the remaining stages.

Body language remains open to interpretation

Armstrong and Wiggins are entitled to analyse what they see, but body language is subjective.

Vingegaard’s disappointment after losing time does not prove that he is mentally defeated, physically unwell or preparing to abandon the race.

His comments about cycling’s demands were unusually candid, but they referred to a previous period of unhappiness that prompted changes he has since welcomed.

The sporting situation is clear enough without speculation. Pogačar has established a commanding lead, and Vingegaard faces increasing pressure from Evenepoel and the other podium contenders.

Whether he can reverse that position will be decided on the road.

For now, Vingegaard remains second in the Tour and has publicly committed himself to reaching Paris.